The Painfully Slow Courtship of Logan and Jean
by WhitePhoenixLoveSong
Summary: The title really says it all. Set after X3
1. Coming Home

It was a pretty normal day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Classes started at eight, except for Jubilee, whose classes always started fifteen to twenty minutes late. She was, in her words, "Like, SO not a morning person!" Xavier's had been rather short-staffed as of late, owing to several deaths and departures, so class size was bordering on ridiculous. Still, it was a better education than any mutant child would receive in a public school. The teachers, however, were getting frazzled. Ororo Monroe, or Storm, taught both history and English. This was rather impressive seeing as English was her second language. Dr. Henry McCoy, or Beast, taught the science and math classes. These two teachers and the senior students who were already X-Men, taught combat and defense classes to those older students who showed an interest in one day being a member of the X-Men. Kitty Pryde, a senior, taught computer classes in addition to her own schoolwork. There was also a kindly old woman named Linda, who cooked and cleaned as much as she was able. She was not a mutant herself, but she held no prejudice. In fact, those children most affected by their mutations, which would have been shunned in normal society, found shelter in her mother-hen demeanor.

It was on this normal day that Logan returned…again. It was in the middle of a wonderful chicken dinner that Linda had prepared. Marie was the first to hear the tell-tale rumblings of Logan's motorcycle. A Cheshire grin spread across her face, lighting it up in a way none had seen since Logan had gone. Springing from the table, she hastily excused herself and thanked Linda for the supper before dashing out to the main corridor entrance. Bobby Drake, her boyfriend, simply sighed and continued eating his chicken. He had accepted a while ago that he was not the only man in Marie's life. Logan was a combination father/big brother/crush. There was no way poor Bobby could compete. It wasn't that Marie didn't care about Bobby as well, but Logan was on a pedestal; he was her hero. Everyone else at the table just smiled. They all knew how attached Marie was to Logan, and how curiously tolerant he was of her.

There was a squeal from the entryway, then a loud grunt. Well, Marie had said hello apparently. Moments later Logan lumbered into the dining room with Marie on piggy-back. He wasn't helping her stay on either, but she clung to him like a hyperactive teenage monkey. The look on his face said he REALLY wanted to dump her on her butt.

"Why Logan," said Storm, "you seem to have developed a growth on your back…" she giggled. The others at the table seemed equally amused.

"Yeah." Logan turned to Hank. "You wanna help me remove it, doc?" He unsheathed his claws on one hand. "Or should I do it myself?" He looked over his shoulder at a laughing Marie.

"Okay, okay!" she said, and dropped to her feet next to him.

"Would you like any dinner, son?" asked Linda sweetly. "It's roasted chicken with potatoes and salad." She got up to get him a plate.

"Yeah, um, thanks." He said, and took an empty seat near the end of the table while Marie went back to her old seat to resume eating.

It was then they heard it; a large booming noise from the direction of the garden. The senior X-Men jumped up and ran towards it. Storm quickly told the younger X-Men to stay and calm down and protect, if necessary, the rest of the students. She turned around and already Hank and Logan were halfway to the garden. She found herself missing Scott just then. As she ran, she thought about how he would be taking charge, giving directions. Instead, Storm now had to rely on her own knowledge and judgment, without even the Professor to fall back on. She realized that, though she trusted Hank and Logan, Hank was more of a bookish lab-rat, and Logan was a lone wolf. Neither one of them was a leader.

She rounded the final corner out to the garden, but stopped short. The ground all around was shaking, and the noise was so loud. It was deep and rumbling, and high and piercing at the same time. Storm saw Logan and Hank standing inside the memorial section of the garden. Hank turned around when she yelled, but Logan didn't. She made her way towards them, slowly, so as not to fall, and Hank met her halfway. This placed them just outside the gate to the memorial garden, where the graves of three dear friends were placed.

"It seems to be originating from the graves!" Hank shouted over the noise. They both looked back to the graves and where Logan was standing. Then suddenly, they were both flying backwards in a flash of light, landing close to the doors of the mansion. Logan hit the outside wall of the garden, but was hardly fazed. He knew which grave the force was coming from, and nothing else mattered. He tried to see past the light, towards the only stone marker that held a body beneath it.

And just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light dissipated. In its place was…nothing. The grave stared back at him, undisturbed. He couldn't believe it. By this time Hank and Storm had made their way to his side, but he took no notice. How could it be? He had thought for sure that she…unless…

"Get a shovel!" He yelled, and dropped to all fours with his ear to the ground.

"What?" said Storm, feeling bewildered. "Why? You aren't going to dig her up, Logan? Honestly, I know she meant a lot to you but-"

"SHUT UP!" He barked, ear still to the ground. "She's down there, and we have ta get her out!" he lifted his head and looked at them, scowling. "I can HEAR her down there! Listen yourself if you don't believe me Blue-boy!" At this he ran off, presumably to get a shovel. Storm and Hank looked at each other.

"Well," said Hank, "I guess…" he slowly kneeled down and put his ear to the ground as Logan had done and closed his eyes to concentrate. His hearing was not as developed as Logan's, but it was still better than a human. Silence reigned in the garden for a long minute. Finally, Hank's head shot up.

"I heard something!" he exclaimed. "A banging noise. Dear God, if she is down there in the coffin…" he left unsaid that she didn't have much time. Not to mention waking up underground, not knowing where she was or how she got there, would definitely be more than a little traumatic. The woman had been through so much already.

Logan finally returned with two shovels. He handed one to Hank and said, as he started digging,

"Storm, you better go an' let the kids know. Get some out here that can help get this dirt up! The Tin Can can help." By this he meant Peter. Storm dashed off as fast as she could. Logan and Hank kept digging furiously. The only thing going through Logan's head was: _she's back! I have her back! _

He had always had a thing for Jean. From the very moment he first saw her in the Med-Lab, he knew there was something about her he found irresistible. The way she kept her cool, even with his claws at her head, and how she had regained her composure so quickly afterwards, by the time they met again in Professor Xavier's office. She eyed him so subtly, no one even knew but him. Of course, she had been taken. Such a catch ol' One-Eye had! He was obligated to hate him, even if he wasn't such a prick, just for having her. She was faithful, in body at least. Logan and she would flirt all day, and then she would go to bed with her boyfriend. Scotty-boy didn't even imagine the reason she was so hot at night, and why their sex life had gotten so much better since Logan arrived.

The few moments that Logan and Jean shared were so wonderful. The time he snuck a kiss under the jet…he dreamed about that one quite frequently. The way she kissed him, full of fire and promise…she just couldn't be kissing the Boy Scout that way! Now here he was, with the prospect of getting her back again.

Storm arrived back before Logan knew it, with reinforcements. Peter had a huge shovel, and started digging alongside the other men right away. They were pretty far down, but it was an oblong hole, only roughly where the casket should be. They were all surprised when they heard a thunk of metal on wood. Logan tossed aside his shovel and started clearing the top and edges of the coffin, muttering words few could hear and none could understand. He had finally found the latch on the top half of the lid, but before he opened it, he motioned for the crowd to back up. Just Hank and Storm stood above the hole as Logan carefully opened the lid.


	2. Reaquainting

The hinges of the coffin squeaked and protested as Logan forced the lid open. Inside laid Jean Grey. Logan looked mutely down at her until she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly from the unfamiliar light. No one dared to move, even breathe, while her eyes adjusted and she slowly raised her arm to shade her face so she could see.

"Logan?" her voice was soft and raspy.

"I'm here, Jean. Me an' Hank an' Storm, we're all here." He said in a rush. Moving slowly, so as not to startle her, Logan moved closer down towards Jean. She had already tried to sit up, but was having a hard time.

"Lemme carry you." He murmured to her, as he slid his arms down and around her and lifted. He managed to climb up and out of the hole without dropping her, but getting though the crowd that had gathered in the garden was another thing entirely. Storm finally resorted to standing on a bench and ordering all the students back to their rooms under threat of danger room sessions with Logan.

Only when she was safely inside, down in her familiar Med-Lab, did Jean speak again. She was sitting on an examining table, passively allowing Hank to check her vitals.

"How could this happen?" she whispered, eyes downcast.

"What?" said Storm, the only other person in the room without super-human hearing.

"I mean," Jean continued, "I remember dying. I remember Logan…" she choked up and couldn't continue. Hank had stopped what he was doing, standing a few feet away, Logan had not moved from his position leaning against the wall out of Hank's way, but Storm rushed forward, grabbing Jean in a fierce hug.

The two had been friends for years and years. Storm and Jean had made friends as students here at the mansion. They had a special bond, being the only two girls. Jean had helped Storm with her English, and Storm re-taught Jean how to have a friend. They were almost like sisters, and although Storm had to pretend that she could be objective when the Phoenix fiasco took place, she was torn up inside. Jean was her best friend, and she had to be as calloused as if she was the enemy; which she sort of was. Storm understood that Logan was angry when she did this, and he didn't understand that she wanted to do the opposite. She wanted to be like Logan, and chase after Jean and try to help until there was nothing left. But, after Scott and the Professor both were gone, Storm had to be the voice of reason.

"It's okay," said Storm as she embraced her best friend, who was now crying softly into her shoulder. "We'll get through this, it doesn't matter how or why you're back. We've missed you so much, Jean!" She started crying too.

The men, looking at each other from across the room, decided silently to let the women have some privacy to do whatever it is that women do when they are emotional together. Hank and Logan made their way out of the room silently, and neither X-Woman noticed.

The next morning's breakfast was, to say the least, awkward. None of the younger and new students even knew who Jean was. The older students remembered her as either their old science teacher, or as an enemy. The other X-Men didn't really know what to do. The tables were silent, except for the occasional "Pass the biscuits." Finally, Jean broke the silence.

"I suppose I should explain myself." She said, in her best professional doctor/teacher voice. Half the students looked shocked, the other half looked extremely curious. Jean stood up.

"Some of you know me from before, as Dr. Grey. I used to be the school doctor and science teacher." A few students nodded. "There was an unfortunate accident at Alkali Lake two years ago, and I was presumed dead." She paused, looking at each student and friend who was there. "I survived, however, but not in my right mind. I am a powerful telepath and telekinetic, and my powers went out of control, gaining a mind of their own. Most of you have heard about the Phoenix." There were nervous murmurs. "But there is no need for any of you to worry." She quickly continued, "I have completely regained my faculties. I'm fine now, and ready, I think, to resume teaching and caring for you students."

There was a slight pause, and then Artie, a student that Jean had always had a special relationship with, began to clap. Others soon followed suit starting with Jubilee, Bobby, and Marie and so on until the entire student body was applauding. Jean looked slightly embarrassed, but very happy. She had been very worried about what kind of reception she would get. She was afraid that people would be scared or angry. Jean should have known that these kids would understand. People had hated and feared them their whole lives for reasons beyond their control. If any group of people could understand and accept her, it was these fellow mutants.

Over the course of the next few days Jean moved back into her old room. Not the one she and Scott had shared, too many painful memories, but into her first room that she had as a girl. Most of her possessions were still at the mansion; no one had got around to clearing out Scott's room after he died. Most of her clothes were gone, but all of her books, music, pictures and such had been saved by Scott.

She was in her room unpacking a box of said books when there was a knock on the door. She paused, scanning who was behind the door.

"Come in, Logan." She said. He opened the door, but didn't come in. He only leaned on the doorframe, watching her as she continued to unpack.

"It's a nice day." He managed finally. Jean looked up and out the window, which was still mostly obscured by dust and cobwebs.

"Yes, it might be. Hard to tell out the grimy window." She smiled. Logan's heart seemed to skip a beat. He loved her smiles, they were so rare recently. She was still dealing with the deaths of Scott and the Professor, he knew.

"Storm and Blue are takin' the kids swimming out on the lake. Wanted to know if you'd be interested." He said, studying his boot rather intently. He really just wanted to spend time with Jean. She'd been holed up in her room sorting through things and unpacking for three days, only coming down to the kitchen for coffee or a bit of leftovers.

"Well," she said, "I suppose it would give me a chance to go over lesson plans with Hank. I was planning on taking back the science classes; he has so much on his mind with just the math classes. All the kids are on different levels and it-" she stopped and glanced up at Logan. "You don't care about lesson plans…sorry." She laughed. Logan just shrugged.

"Whatever floats yer boat, Red." He opened his mouth to say something else, and then changed his mind. Finally he settled on "See you in the foyer at two if yer gonna go." Then turned and left.

Jean was flustered. She tried to return to unpacking but she couldn't get back in the swing of it. Logan always knocked her off kilter. She sighed, and closed the box. She would go swimming. Just then she realized she didn't have a swim suit. She had been borrowing clothes from Storm and the older girls to get by until she could go to town, but borrowing a swim suit was something she didn't really want to do. Grabbing some sunglasses, she went out to find Storm and go to the mall.


	3. Having Fun

The lake was beautiful this time of year. This early in the summer the water was almost warm and the sun never beat down quite so strongly. Still, for someone as fair as Jean, sunscreen was a must. She was slathering herself with it while she was sitting in the foyer waiting for everyone. The bathing suit she bought was a modest bikini, cherry red with a matching sarong. She had noticed while trying on swim suits that her body was in excellent condition. Not that it hadn't been acceptable before, but she looked like she remembered looking in college. So, she hadn't felt the least bit guilty about buying the two-piece. The last few years she had taken to buying one-piece suits, but she was feeling playful at the mall. Her and Storm had not had a good girls day out since forever ago. Not only did she get the swim suit (and Storm got one too), but they went for manicures, pedicures and got their hair trimmed. Jean felt like a million bucks. Then Logan walked into the room, and she felt like twenty million.

Jean had decided to wear her suit down to the lake, and had just thrown a pair of old shorts on over it, putting her sunglasses, sarong, and first aid kit in a small bag to carry with her. Logan looked approvingly at the bikini top. A little TOO approvingly, because Marie had to walk over and tell him to quit drooling all over the expensive rug.

Soon everyone was present and accounted for, and they headed out to the lake. It was just a short walking distance from the mansion; about a mile into the woods. Just as Jubilee was starting to complain, there it was. Jean had forgotten how large and still it was. There was an old dock, and a tree that hung over the lake far enough to warrant a swinging rope. As soon as the kids saw it, they ran towards it. The students had few opportunities to just be kids, so they were going to squeeze every ounce of fun out of this afternoon as possible.

Jean, Logan, Storm, Hank and Warren (who wasn't much for swimming because of his wings) set up camp on the shore a ways down from the dock and swing. After they laid out blankets, towels and lawn chairs, first thing Logan did was pull a six-pack out of the cooler he brought.

"That's quite an example for the younger generation, friend." said Hank. Logan ignored him. Jean and Storm only rolled their eyes. Logan would be Logan.

The women went to lay out in the sun by the little beach. Once they were out of earshot, Storm turned to Jean and giggled "That bikini is really working, isn't it?" Jean turned pink.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, 'Ro." Mumbled Jean, using her older nickname for Storm in hopes she would get sentimental and drop the subject.

"Oh, no you don't!" Storm responded, "I know that trick. And you most certainly DO know what I'm talking about! I've been watching you watch Logan watch you…"

"Huh?" Jean said, and then laughed.

"You know what I mean!" responded a flustered Storm. "He's been looking at you like a wolf looks at a deer. You also knew that he would the moment you bought that suit." She looked quite pleased with herself, but then Jean started tearing up.

"What? What is it, Jean? Look, I'm sorry! I was only teasing! Aw, Jean, sweetie I'm so sorry." Storm frantically apologized.

"No, no, it's no that." said the redhead, her voice thick with emotion. "It's just that, I feel so bad when I do this." She gestured vaguely at her swim suit.

"What? Honey it looks great! In fact, I'm kind of jealous…"

"No, I mean, when I play around with Logan like this." She paused and bit her lower lip, but her friend nodded for her to continue. "I still am missing Scott, and I feel guilty about being attracted to Logan. I flirt with him all the time and I know that he would gladly be with me, but I can't. It's too soon! And I feel like I'm leading him on by playing along and flirting and buying skimpy clothes…" she started crying in earnest now. She was embarrassed because this was not like her at all. She was never one to wallow in sadness or guilt, she had always been a person who would rather spend time coming up with a solution. She fleetingly thought it might be the grief affecting her. She had only really been through one other loss, and that was when she was still a child. They say that children are more resilient, that they bounce back quicker, right? Plus, she had had more problems to deal with than the death of her friend Annie; she also had to deal with her emerging mutation which had been brought about by the event.

Storm put her arm around Jean, offering silent comfort, since she didn't know what to say. After a few minutes she stopped crying. They sat there in the sun, each deep in their own thoughts. They were both startled as Logan plopped down next to Jean on the ground.

"Looks like you need this more than I do." he said as he handed Jean a beer. To everyone's surprise, she took it.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Red." He thought it best not to mention he had heard their entire conversation. Warren and Hank had been discussing politics, so they hadn't heard a thing. Logan was disappointed, but not discouraged. He could wait. For Jean, he could wait a very long time…

The kids had a blast that day. Bobby was flinging snowballs that he made out of lake water he froze, and everyone spent the day dodging them. To no one's surprise, Jubilee brought a squirt gun, and was not afraid to use it. Kitty and Peter, who had once been an item, swam curiously apart from the rest of the students. After the incident between her and Bobby, she had begun to reevaluate the benefits of an unattached man. Plus, Jubilee liked Peter. She was forever arguing with her roommate about boys. Jubilee had strongly disapproved of Kitty and Bobby, and had told her about it all the time.

Dinner was eaten over by the teachers. Linda had made sandwiches and potato salad, and packed Cokes and chips. After they ate, everyone was too tired to go out and swim any more. They all sat on the shore and watched the sunset quietly, for the most part. Nothing aside from larynx removal could shut Jubilee up for very long.

As they were packing up to head home, Logan made his way over to where Jean was putting a band-aid on the knee of a small girl he didn't remember the name of. She was still sniffling.

"It's ok Rayne, sweetheart, it's only a scrape. Just be more careful along the rocks next time, they're slippery." The girl nodded and walked away slowly in the direction of some other young students. Jean was packing up her first-aid kit in her bag, and didn't notice Logan right away.

"Not only are you a teacher an' a doctor, you're a mommy too, huh?" He teased. Jean spun around, startled.

"Oh! Logan." She laughed. "Yeah, I guess I'm a mother-figure for some of the little ones who never had a good mother of their own." She said, a little more seriously. He nodded. There was an awkward moment until Storm called to them both that they were leaving. Logan and Jean turned and started walking back to the mansion, acting as a rear guard so that none of the students got lost or left behind. They walked in silence for a while, until Jean stumbled. Logan's hand went out automatically to steady her. He held her arm while she regained her balance.

"Stupid roots…" she mumbled. Logan's hand began to slide away, but she grabbed it in her own. She didn't really know why. For all her talk of feeling guilty about Logan, somehow this didn't feel wrong. He looked surprised, but it turned into a smile. Jean was waiting for a smart-aleck comment, but it didn't come. So they walked back to the mansion that way; hand in hand, silently.


	4. Escaping

The time was almost near for classes to end for the summer. The upperclassmen were getting a severe case of "senioritis". They were counting down the days to graduation. The teachers were sympathetic, especially Jean and Hank, who remembered their own experiences in school.

Graduation was set for June 21st. The day before, which was a Friday, were finals. The mansion was eerily silent, as the students took their final exams. At precisely three o'clock, the halls erupted with shouts. Someone, probably Kitty, had hacked the intercoms throughout the mansion to play "School's Out" by Alice Cooper.

There was an impromptu party that night in the den for the seniors. It was a small graduating class, but they made a big fuss. Linda made them a cake, cookies, and punch, and they settled down in the den for an all-night movie marathon. Storm had warned them that the graduation ceremony was at nine a.m. the next morning, but they didn't seem to really care. The younger students and teachers made themselves scarce, especially Logan, who hadn't been seen or heard from for a day and a half. This was smart, since the only kid brave enough to intrude on the party was pelted with snow, popcorn and pillows.

At nine the next morning, all the students filed out to the garden, where rows of chairs had been set up before a small stage. There weren't many family members in the crowd, just Marie's parents (whom she had recently made up with), Kitty's parents, and Peter's younger sister Illiyana, who was also a student at the school. Bobby's parents were not there; they hadn't spoken to him since he told them he was a mutant. Jubilee was an orphan, and Theresa's parents were abroad.

The graduates all looked tired, but in good spirits. Storm gave a speech, as did each other teacher. Then, one by one, the seniors went up to receive their diplomas.

"Marie D'Canto…"

"Robert Drake…"

"Jubilation Lee…"

"Katherine Pryde…"

"Peter Rasputin…"

"Theresa Rourke…"

As they all stood there on stage, Marie happened to look up towards the mansion. There, standing on a balcony, was Logan. He nodded to her, and then walked back into the house. Marie was glad that he came, even if he wasn't in the audience. It just wasn't his way.

The ceremony was followed by a reception in the ballroom. Great big tables had been set up on either side with tons of food and drink. Interspersed around the room were tables and chairs to sit and mingle, and a dance floor and d.j. sat at the far end of the room. This was more of a parent's party.

Jean was bored out of her skull. She was every year at these things, but this was even worse because Scott wasn't here to joke with her telepathically, and the Professor wasn't here to entertain the parents and make the party seem less stiff. Of course Logan wouldn't touch this party with a ten foot pole, so her only option was to stick to Storm, and make tons of small talk with parents. Currently, Storm was chatting with Warren Worthington Jr., Angel's father. Warren, codenamed Angel, had already graduated when he came to Xavier's, but he liked to be around other mutants so they let him stay on. His father had become a major benefactor, so he came to their functions. This meant only one thing: butt-kissing. Jean hated it. Not to mention that he still looked at her skeptically, even though it had been explained to him that she was no longer the Phoenix, and was no danger.

Jean was spacing out, not listening to Storm and Mr. Worthington's conversation, when the d.j. started playing an interesting song. It was kind of slow, so several couples started slow-dancing. She, however, was listening to the words.

_Squint your eyes and look closer,_

_I'm not between you and your ambition._

_I am a poster-girl with no poster;_

_I am thirty-two flavors and then some._

_And I'm beyond your peripheral vision,_

_So you might want to turn your head._

'_Cause someday you are going to get hungry,_

_And eat most of the words you just said._

"Isn't that right, Jean?" said Storm. Jean jumped a little, but made a vague affirmative sound and nodded her head, before going back to listen to the song.

_God help you if you are an ugly girl,_

_Course too pretty is also your doom,_

'_Cause everyone harbors a secret hatred_

_For the prettiest girl in the room._

_And God help you if you are a phoenix,_

_And you dare to rise up from the ash._

_A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy_

_As you are just flying past._

Jean was beginning to think this song hit a little too close to home. She politely excused herself and went out into the hall under pretense of going to the ladies room. She rounded the corner and ran into Logan.

"Oh! Logan, I'm sorry, I-" she stumbled.

"No problem, Red. Don't blame you for wantin' to ditch that snooze-fest at warp speed." He looked around her back through the door to the ballroom. "Looks like a wake in there."

Jean fully agreed, but she had to be professional about it. The formal receptions were, if not mandatory, at least expected; especially at a respected east-coast boarding school like this one. Plus, she just couldn't give Logan the satisfaction of agreeing with him. That wasn't how their game was played.

"It's traditional." She replied. "We've thrown the same graduation celebration at Xavier's ever since it was just the first four of us: me, Storm, Scott and Hank…" She remembered that first party. It was much smaller: Charles, herself and the other three students, Hank's parents and her parents and her sister Sarah. The parents and Charles had had much to talk about. Her father was a college professor, and Hank's father was a nuclear scientist. None of the kids followed their conversations, except maybe Hank. She remembered it fondly. No time after that had ever been as happy.

Logan sensed Jean was lost in some memory, but he gently tugged her back to reality by putting a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled, and then laughed.

"Sorry, just thinking about how things used to be." She sighed.

"They aren't too bad now, are they?" he challenged. She searched his expression, wondering what he really meant by that. Finally, she shrugged.

Just then, a giggling girl burst through the ballroom doors, wings fluttering. In both hands she held a cupcake. When she saw Logan and Jean standing there, she froze.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "Didn't mean to interrupt!" she nervously hovered side to side, seemingly thinking of how to get past them and up the hallway with her prizes.

"It's alright Pixie. You weren't interrupting anything…" said Jean. A look of doubt spread across the girls face, but she said nothing. "You can go on up to your room, if that's where you were heading." Jean continued. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than the little girl was zooming by them and up the stairs. "That was odd." Jean thought out loud. Logan said nothing.

"Well, I should really get back to the party…" Jean mumbled, then turned around and marched back into the ballroom.

The rest of the evening went as planned, and was rather boring. Jean excused herself to go to bed at about eight-thirty. She had no intentions of going to bed of course, but she just couldn't stand being polite any longer. Slowly she climbed up to her room, which was still mostly full of boxes. Off came her shoes first, and then she plopped down on the bed, looking around with a sigh. She couldn't stand the boxes. Jean was a compulsively clean person, mostly because if she wasn't, she tended to always lose things. Losing things is bad when you're a doctor.

She was going to clear away the last few boxes tonight. No sooner had she made up her mind than she heard a clink on the window. She went over and opened it, narrowly missing a second pebble as she did so. Leaning over the railing, she searched the darkness.

"Wanna go for a ride?" Logan's voice drifted out from the pitch black. Jean rolled her eyes.

"It's close to nine!" she called back.

"So?" was the indignant reply from below. Jean thought about it. She had ridden on Scott's motorcycle with him a few times and it was really fun. Still, she felt bad about going out with Logan so soon after…

"Well?" Logan yelled. "You're not down here in five, I'm goin' alone!" That did it. She was going. After changing into jeans and sneakers and grabbing a jacket, Jean ran down the stairs and out towards the driveway.

When she got there, Logan was already on the motorcycle, revving it up to go. He was dressed in his typical dark jeans, a black tee shirt and dark brown leather jacket.

"Thought you weren't comin'." He said. "Grab a helmet in the garage." She didn't question why he wasn't wearing one. It was useless to argue with him, and even if he did crash and get injured, it wouldn't be permanent; it would just hurt like the dickens.

Jean put on the helmet as she walked back out to the driveway. She suddenly got nervous, standing there facing Logan on the bike. She also felt guilty still, for wanting to have fun with Logan when Scott's death was still so fresh.

"Hop on, Red." said Logan impatiently. It was right then she decided to stop worrying about it. Looking at Logan, she realized she could have something good. Scott was a good man, but not the only good man.

"Well we have all night Logan, I don't know why you're in such a rush." She teased, as she climbed on the bike behind him. The way the seat was angled pushed her hips right up against him, and as she slid her arms around his waist and under his jacket, she felt him shiver. "So where are we going?" she asked over his shoulder. He didn't answer, but instead started down the driveway, turning onto the road at the end and zooming away. 

A.N. I know I totally stole this song from another fanfic, and I would credit it if I remembered which one. (oops) So please, if you know, let me know!


	5. Drunken Revelations

They ended up at a roadside bar. Jean assumed that it was a place Logan frequented. It was a small building (you might miss it if you drove by too fast) and looked derelict from the outside. She shot a questioning glance at Logan, but he just kept walking towards the entrance. Jean finished taking off her helmet and shaking out her hair, and then rushed to catch up to him as he entered the bar.

There were certainly some shady characters inside. The bartender was a grizzled old man, but Jean was pretty sure he could give any of the other young ruffians in the bar a run for their money. Logan directed her to a booth in the corner, and then went to go get drinks. On his way back he noticed that many of the men in the bar were staring at Jean. She certainly looked out of place, even in her casual clothes she was classier than all the other people in this joint put together. He felt a pang of remorse at bringing her here, but where else was there to go? He certainly wasn't up for a classier place; he'd probably embarrass her.

Jean was happy when Logan finally sat down across from her. He slid her a drink, and she took it gratefully.

"You come here often?" she asked. Logan glanced around and shrugged. Jean took that to mean yes. It definitely seemed like the kind of place Logan would fit in.

A few drinks later, Jean plucked up the courage to ask Logan something that had been itching in the back of her brain for a while.

"Logan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember the night before the Alkali Lake thing, when we were all camping in the woods?" she paused, waiting for a response.

"Yeah. Why?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, I know there was the…thing…under the jet, I mean. But, later I…well there was…in my tent." She stumbled around for the right words, which wasn't easy given how tipsy she was. Fortunately, Logan came to her rescue.

"Does it have to do with a certain shape shifting bitch? 'Cause same thing happened ta me." He said quietly. Jean nodded.

"I felt so bad! I thought I was the only one she was messing with. She crawled into my tent, pretending to be you, and tried to…well, you know." Jean turned bright red.

"How'd you figure it wasn't me?" he asked, curious now. Jean giggled.

"I, um, well it's kind of embarrassing actually. I thought that it was weird that you came to my tent in the first place. I figured you'd be sulking off in your own tent." Logan winced on the inside. That hit a little too close to home. Jean continued, "I kind of went along with it though, I mean, no one else was set up near my tent, Scott wasn't there and, let's face it, I was still turned on from before. That kiss under the jet was amazing!" she seemed to realize at that point she wasn't just talking to herself, and looked down at the table, blushing.

"Go on. Ya still haven't answered my question." Logan prompted. He felt a little guilty, taking advantage of the fact that alcohol affected Jean but not him. He didn't feel bad enough to stop though.

"Oh? Right. So, I knew it wasn't you because of the way she kissed." Jean could feel her face burning. This was definitely an uncomfortable topic.

"Whadduya mean?" Logan asked.

"Well," Jean was inspecting her beer bottle very closely at this point. "I mean, when two people kiss, they don't kiss straight on, right?" Logan was confused, and let it show on his face. Jean looked up at him and sighed, laughing a little. "Ok, I'll demonstrate." He liked the sound of that.

Jean leaned across the table, and Logan followed suit. Their faces were almost nose to nose. Logan could smell the alcohol on Jean's breath. He probably shouldn't let her have anymore. Right at the point where he would normally close his eyes and go in for a kiss, Jean stopped him.

"No," she said, "keep your eyes open. Ever wonder how the kiss happens? Our noses are in the way." He looked down at his nose, slightly cross-eyed. "It works because I go like this." She turned her head, and then gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I knew it wasn't you, because she tilted her head to kiss me. Usually only girls do that. You certainly never do, I could tell from kissing you earlier. You're much too aggressive to make any concessions like that." She smiled at him from inches away. He could tell by her lop-sided grin that she was well and truly drunk now. If he kept her out much longer, she might accuse him of taking advantage, seeing as he was perfectly sober.

"I think it's time to head home, darlin'." He said. She gave an exaggerated nod.

_Getting home without her fallin' off the bike is gonna be a trick,_ Logan thought.


	6. Hangover and a Surprise

The next morning, Jean woke up to the sun shining through a bedroom window that was bigger than her own window was supposed to be. She was also still in the clothes she wore out last night. Jean tried to remember, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a shower shutting off. She looked over to the door that she supposed led to the bathroom, and could hear someone puttering around inside.

Looking around the rest of the room, she saw very few personal possessions: a Zippo and wallet on the nightstand, a small pile of clothes on the floor, and a dark brown leather jacket hanging over the back of the desk chair. Jean realized it was Logan's room right as he walked out of the bathroom, wearing only a pair of jeans. His hair was still wet, and hung down around his face and over his eyes in a most attractive way. He shook it out of his eyes in a practiced move, then saw that Jean was awake.

"Howya feelin'? Couldn't get your door open last night, so I put ya to bed here." A suspicious look passed over Jean's face apparently, because he said, "I took the floor, don't worry, Red."

"You couldn't get my door open because I lock and unlock it from the inside. Old trick Erik taught me." She smiled wistfully.

"Well," he continued, rubbing his hair with a towel, "you were in pretty bad shape. When was the last time you were drunk, darlin'?" he said with a grin. Jean groaned and rolled over on the bed so her face was in the pillow.

"College, I think." was her muffled reply. She rolled over again, this time squinting at the windows. The curtains closed at her mental command.

"That's better." she purred, and snuggled down to go back to sleep.

"Hey there!" exclaimed Logan. "That's my bed!" Jean just looked up at him at pitifully as she could. "Oh no, don't try that! Up an' attem!" He tried to wrestle the covers away from her, but she only wiggled down deeper, laughing. 

There was an awkward moment later when, as Jean and Logan left his room to go get some breakfast, Marie and Bobby saw them and assumed that they had spent the night together. They had, of course, but not how the teens thought. It took some fast talking on the part of Jean to come up with a story that didn't involve sex, beer, or late night motorcycle rides. Not to say that Marie and Bobby didn't know perfectly well that it was made up, but they decided that it was better to play along…for now.

As for Logan, he was secretly proud of the fact that everyone assumed he'd managed to snag Jean for his own so quickly. He knew that she was attracted to him, and had been from the start, but he also knew it wouldn't be easy for him to be patient enough to let Jean truly fall in love with him. 

That next Monday, the kids who had homes to go back to left for summer break. The mansion seemed curiously empty. Jubilee did her best to fill it though, at least with noise. Only she, Peter and Illiyana, Bobby, Artie, and a few younger kids stayed. It was like this every summer, and Jean was set to prepare herself for some extremely boring weeks to come. Little did she know, it would turn out to be the exact opposite.

The phone call came when Jean was in the library. After a couple rings, she sighed and got up to run and get it. She got to the office, where the main phone was, just in time for the answering machine to kick in. She stood in the doorway catching her breath.

_You have reached the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. We are unavailable at the moment, but if you would kindly leave your name and number, we will return your call at the next available opportunity, thank you._ BEEP!

"Yes, this is Dr. Moira MacTaggart of the Muir Island Research Facility. I am trying to reach either Ms. Ororo Munroe, or Dr. Henry McCoy. I have urgent news-" Jean picked up the phone.

"Hello? This is Dr. Grey, can I help you?" There was silence on the other line for a moment.

"Dr. Jean Grey?" asked the voice on the phone.

"Yes…" said Jean.

"But I thought, well, never mind. I called to tell you that your late headmaster is here, and would like to speak with someone there at the school." said Dr. MacTaggart. Jean was speechless. The professor was dead, wasn't he? Didn't she even say "your LATE headmaster"?

"I understand this must be quite a shock, Dr. Grey, but Charles Xavier never really died. You were, I believe, aware of the subject we had here at Muir Island that was born without any higher-level brain functions? He was simply a shell of a man, with no mind." Jean nodded, and then realized she was on the phone.

"Yes, I vaguely remember the professor talking about it, why?" she asked.

"Well, that man was the twin brother of professor Xavier." She let that sink in for a second before adding, "Charles transferred his consciousness at the last moment to his brother's body. He is alive and doing quite well." Jean's emotions were getting the better of her. She was so ecstatic to find out her mentor wasn't gone. Her guilt over what happened resurfaced as well. She wondered if this was what Logan felt like when they found her in the grave.

"I'd like to speak with him." Jean said.

"Of course you do. One moment." There was the sound of a phone changing hands. And then…

"Jean? They told me that you were…that things had ended tragically." His cultured voice sounded over the phone exactly how Jean remembered.

"They did." Jean said softly. "My being alive again is a recent turn of events. I did die on Alcatraz."

"Oh, my dear, I am sorry. Although, I'm also very glad to hear that you have returned to us. I must admit, I haven't been on the ball (psychically speaking) lately, or I would have noticed an event as significant as your consciousness returning to your body. It must have caused quite a disturbance at the mansion."

"That's what I hear." she said. "Logan was the one who rescued me."

"How fitting." was all he said. _Curious how even the professor assumes…_she thought.

"I do not assume, Jean. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence in both your minds. You are simply ignoring it." She could hear the smile in his gentle chastisement.

"Well," Jean went on, trying to change the subject, "are you coming back home? We really need you back; it would do wonders for morale. Plus, I think poor Storm is getting a little too stressed-out running this place."

"Sadly, I am needed here for the moment. The good Dr. MacTaggart is making sure I am in perfect health before letting me out of her sight. I should be arriving back home in another three weeks or so."

Their conversation digressed into small talk about students, curriculum and other things until Dr. MacTaggart informed them that Charles needed to have his vitals taken. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Jean was so happy she could barely contain it. They had the professor back! Things would almost be normal again (or as "normal" as they ever got).


	7. Confrentation

Jean told everyone at dinner about the professor. There was an instant joyous uproar. Everyone fired questions at Jean one after the other.

"So he's really alive?"

"Was he ever dead?"

"He's coming back soon, right?"

"Is his brother bald too?" this from Jubilee.

Jean answered their questions as best she could, but had to escape right after dinner by sending some telepathic confusion out over the small crowd. She went out the back door towards the woods, deciding that a quiet walk was what she needed to relax. The forest behind the mansion stretched back for several miles. It was an old forest, not much disrupted by civilization. All those acres of forestland were technically owned by the professor though.

Jean thought about the fiasco they had, quite a few years ago now, when a little boy who was a student at the Institute got lost in these woods. It took three days to find the poor thing. _It would have been nice to have Logan here then,_ she thought, _he would have found him right away. _

Just as Jean was thinking some other, more personal, things about Logan, he appeared from behind a tree.

"Heya, Red." His voice was deep and he smiled wolfishly. Logan was always a little less socially appropriate out in nature. Jean thought fleetingly about Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

"Hello, Logan. We missed you at dinner." She tried to remain calm and aloof like always, but was failing tonight. She had the feeling he could tell.

"I probably didn't miss much." He paused, "'Cept you of course." As he looked at her, Jean could see his eyes were unusually dark. She had seen that look before, in battle and…one other time under a certain jet. She made a mental note to proceed with caution. She didn't think he would hurt her, but there were other things. He started towards her, pushing of from the tree he was leaning against. Even his walk was reminiscent of a predator stalking prey.

Seeing this side of Logan was enough to set off Jean's own defenses. The part of Jean that used to be Phoenix reared up, making her eyes glow fiery orange and gold. Logan stopped. Jean really wanted to turn around and just leave, but she also didn't want to back down from what was so obviously a challenge from a fellow predator. She waited for him to make a move. She didn't want to fight him, because when she fought, it was all or nothing. Logan could hold back a little strength, not use all his muscle or leverage, but Jean had only one real weapon, and it took no prisoners.

Logan sensed that the situation was getting out of hand, and took a step back, but he refused to lower his eyes from where they were locked with Jean's. She interpreted it (correctly) as a show of peace. Her eyes slowly faded to their normal dark green color, and she regained some rational thought. Her first one was: _What the hell just happened?_

Logan read her face and laughed a little inside. She really didn't know the animal that was inside her, did she? He wasn't too worried, it seemed she had it under enough control not to hurt anyone, but he should talk to her about it. He understood better than anyone else what she was going through right this instant.

"You okay, darlin'?" he ventured. She just looked away, apparently embarrassed at what just transpired. "Nothin' ta be ashamed of." Logan continued, his voice still a little rough. She looked back at him then, and he saw fear in her eyes. Normally that would be enough to set off his own beastie, but this was Jean; _his_ Jean. At least, that's how the more primitive side of him thought of her. Wolverine had already decided that Jean was his mate; she just didn't know it yet.

In any case, he felt he should do something. He wasn't sure what she would do if he went towards her, so he stood where he was and opened his arms, feeling rather uncertain, inviting her into an embrace that he wasn't sure she'd accept.

Jean saw what he wanted, but was unsure of herself. She felt so exposed right now, so susceptible to his unending advances. This, of course, didn't seem like Logan's style. He was usually pretty upfront with the innuendo, which is why she decided that he was sincere this time. She walked over to him, slowly, and then melted into his arms.

Jean cautiously opened her mind, allowing Logan's thoughts to slip in and hers to slip out. Her thoughts centered mostly on what was going on within her, and her power. Maybe a few thoughts of how safe she felt in Logan's big arms. Logan, on the other hand, was focused entirely on Jean. He was thinking how small she was, even though they were roughly the same height, and how she was trembling, and how good she smelled… He suddenly felt her tense up. She heard that last thought, and wasn't sure where it was going.

Logan suddenly felt overwhelmingly frustrated. Why couldn't she just relax? Why did she have to feel so guilty about everything? She couldn't change the past, things that happened when she was Phoenix, so why agonize over it? He just couldn't understand why she refused to move on. If she only knew how much he wanted her to be happy, he would do almost anything. Scooter would want her to be happy too, probably even if it was with him. He felt the front of his shirt was wet, and looked down to see Jean looking up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Okay." she said. "I want to try to be happy…with you."


	8. It's All Fun and Games

Logan couldn't remember ever being this happy. Of course, he couldn't remember a lot of things, so that wasn't out of the question. Still, he didn't know what do to with himself. For the next few days he was around the mansion an inordinate amount. Busy work seemed to alleviate his jitters, so he did odd jobs around the house. He changed the oil in all the cars and did some maintenance on them, he fixed the gazebo (one of the beams had broken, so far no one had 'fessed up to it), he put in some new pathways in the farther out gardens, and still he found time to duke it out with Peter, Bobby and Hank in several danger room sessions. It was funny to Jean how Logan kept himself so busy. Of course, she wouldn't have figured him for the clingy type anyhow, and she was kind of glad. She needed some space, and to take things slow. She almost never just jumped into things.

One afternoon, Jean was relaxing in the den with Storm. They had just got back from shopping for new clothes for Jean. She had to give back most of the clothing she borrowed from students when they were packing to go home for the summer. So now they were just flopped on the couch, Jean reading and Storm semi-napping.

"Do you think I should cut my hair?" said Jean out of the blue. Storm looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's really long, not entirely professional." Jean added.

"Yes, but does Logan like long hair or short?" Storm teased. Jean threw a throw pillow at her. "Just kidding, Jean!" Storm squealed. "Maybe a little shorter, but it was too short the last time you got it cut. Keep it past your shoulders a bit, I think." Right now Jean's long hair was twisted up into an elaborate knot on the back of her head, with just a few short stray hairs framing her face. Jean shrugged.

"I'm going back into town next week so I might-" she was cut short by Jubilee running into the room, leaping over the couch yelling.

"Save me from the big, bad Wolvie! Call him off Dr. Grey!" she whined.

"Why do you think I'll save you, Jubilee? What did you do to deserve Logan coming after you?" Jean asked. Before she could answer, Logan burst through the door.

"I know you're here, kid!" Logan bellowed. Jean and Storm burst into laughter. Logan's entire head was slightly burnt and his hair and sideburns were smoking slightly. Apparently Jubilee got a little carried away during a danger room session. She still didn't have that great of control over her power.

"Wolvie, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…well, I kinda did…but don't hurt me!" at this point they were chasing each other around the room, Jubilee giggling hysterically and Logan huffing and puffing his rage at the mischievous teen. Storm and Jean were still laughing themselves silly on the couch, tears running down their cheeks. 

That night at dinner, everyone had sat down, but Logan was still nowhere to be found. He disappeared after the Jubilee incident. Jean was about to go look for him when he walked into the dining room…looking slightly less hairy. He had salvaged as much hair as he could that wasn't burnt, but that left him with a shorter hair cut and mostly clean shaven. No one knew what to say. He still had short sideburns, but that was it. The whole table was tense. They wanted to laugh, but could tell he was in a bad mood.

It was Jean that finally had the courage to compliment him on it. Not to mention she was the least likely to get her head torn off for mentioning it. He just grunted in reply, but it broke the tension.

After dinner, Jean cornered Logan to ask him what his plans were tomorrow. He shrugged. This is what Jean loathed about dating. It was always so awkward, and she felt like a teenager again…in a bad way.

"Nothin' really. You got something you wanna do?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She just smiled.

"Well, the kids wanted to go to the fair tomorrow, and someone needs to chaperone them. I just was wondering if you wanted to make a date out of it." There, she said it. It was out there and she couldn't take it back. It seemed like forever before he responded.

"Fair, huh?" he took a deep breath, and let it out leisurely. "We don't actually gotta watch the kids, right?" Jean laughed.

"Not really. Just knowing that we're there will keep them from doing anything too awful; especially if it's you that's there. Unless Jubilee tries to show off for you again, then we might have a problem." Logan scowled at this last observation. He had no idea why the girl bugged him and followed him around all the time. He was bad-tempered and irritable as much as possible, but she must think that it's funny or a peculiar display of affection.

"Guess I'll go. Just 'cause it was you that asked, darlin'." He sighed.

"Great! We're leaving at ten tomorrow morning; we'll meet in the foyer as usual." Jean said, and then turned to go up to her room for the night. Logan put out his hand to prevent her.

"So where do ya think you're goin'? It's a nice night…" he pulled her close and whispered in her hair, "Jeannie, darlin'."


	9. Relatives and Returning Powers

"Logan, I..." she couldn't finish, because he had suddenly turned her around in his arms so they were facing each other. From inches away, they stared into each other's eyes. His were full of passion, longing, and a hint of frustration. Hers were unsure, but infused with fire nonetheless.

"You what, Jeannie?" he whispered, just as Bobby rounded the corner of the hallway. Both their heads snapped towards the sound of his footfall.

"Uh…sorry." He said quickly, and tried to find somewhere else to be, but turning around he bumped into Peter.

"What is the rush, Iceman?" he said. Peter finally looked up as Bobby frantically gestured towards the couple, who were still embracing in the middle of the hallway. They promptly pulled apart and went their separate ways, both of them casting glares at the boys. Bobby and Peter tried REALLY hard not to laugh. They knew Logan would almost certainly take it out on them in the danger room later. 

The next morning was a complete fiasco. Marie arrived back to the mansion very early that day. She had a huge fight with her parents, and decided to spend the rest of the summer back at the mansion. She found out about the fair from Bobby as she was eating breakfast, and of course she wanted to go. Ditching her waffle, Marie scrambled upstairs, against the general tide going down, to get ready. She left Bobby to clean up her breakfast mess (Linda was sick) and he dropped the dish on the floor, smashing it into tiny pieces. For some reason he thought that involving ice would help speed the clean up process, but he ended up with the dish still broken and scattered around the room and a broken floor tile to boot. By the time Storm intervened, the mess took twenty minutes and several extra hands to clean up. Between that and Marie taking almost an hour to get ready, they didn't make it to the fair until twelve-thirty.

This put Logan in a very bad mood. The only person standing between him and strangling the students was Jean. Once everyone was through the fair gate, she pulled Logan off in the opposite direction the kids were heading (which was towards the rides) without much difficulty. They strolled though the fair booths, not really paying attention to the din that surrounded them. Up and down the various isles they went, past the smell of barbeque and funnel cakes, quickly through the animals (the smell drove Logan crazy, not to mention the animals really didn't like him) and past vendors selling everything from gym memberships to fireplaces. Jean had her arm through Logan's and was leaning towards him, making an occasional comment. Everything was going great until SHE showed up.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Dr. Jean Elizabeth Grey. What a surprise." oozed a tall red-head, who looked very similar to Jean except she was dressed like a tramp and was wearing too much make-up. She stopped in Logan and Jean's path and smiled at them in a frosty way.

"Hello Sarah." Jean replied tersely. Sarah switched her unfriendly gaze to Logan, looking him up and down.

"This isn't that teacher fellow you were hanging on last time I saw you. This one looks more my style." Sarah raised her hand to touch Logan's chest, but he pulled away hastily, scowling.

"Logan, this is my sister Sarah. Sarah, this is Logan. Scott passed away a while back. Logan has been my friend for a long time; we only recently started dating." Jean said with the most counterfeit grin Logan had ever seen her wear.

"Oh. So sorry to hear it, one less uptight prep in the world I guess. Tragic, really, it is." Sarah said with all the enthusiasm of a clear-eyes commercial, but Jean had years of practice not rising to her sister's bait. Logan just kept his mouth shut for once. There hadn't been any love lost between him and Scott, but 1.) He didn't want to hurt Jean by agreeing with her bitchy sister and 2.) He just didn't like the idea of siding with this sleazy chick, even over something he agreed with.

"So nice seeing you, Sarah, but I really have to go check on the students." said Jean, whirling around and heading in the opposite direction, dragging Logan along with her.

"See you at Thanksgiving!" Sarah yelled after her.

"I hope not." muttered Jean.

Jean had calmed down by the time they reached the rides. She saw Jubilee at the arcade, which she had probably been at this whole time. Jean had warned her to be careful when playing those games so that her powers didn't go off and damage the machines if she got excited.

The couple rounded the corner and bumped into Peter, who was carrying a comatose Bobby in his arms. Behind them was a wailing Marie, flanked by Illiyana and Artie, who were carefully not touching her while still trying to calm her down and give support. Some other smaller children were trailing behind, looking anxious.

"Ah didn' mean ta!" Marie was lamenting. Her Mississippi accent was infinitely worse when she was this upset. "Ah took th' shot, it shouldn' happen anymore! It ain't mah fault!" Marie was leaving a trail of frozen dirt and grass behind her. She looked up and saw Jean and Logan, and launched herself at Logan. He caught her without touching her skin, the result of much practice from before the cure.

Jean left Logan's side to go check on Bobby. He appeared to be fine, just unconscious. Still, she thought they should probably head home. She sent a telepathic message to Jubilee and the other kids that weren't there with them, telling them all to meet at the front gate immediately.

Marie had calmed down a little, so Logan pulled her away from him and looked her in the eye.

"What happened, kid?" he said with characteristic directness. It was actually pretty obvious what happened, but he wanted her to start talking to keep her mind off of freaking out or using Bobby's powers.

"Ah was holdin' his hand an'…he just started with the thing that people do when they touched me before an' Ah could feel it, Ah could feel 'im an' the cold an'-"

"That will do for now, Marie. It's fine. Bobby will be okay, we just have to go home now." said Jean, in her calming doctor voice.

They all headed for the entrance. The fair employee at the door looked at Peter and Bobby strangely. It was a little too early in the day for drunkenness to be a decent excuse.

"Heat exhaustion." said Peter as they passed out through the gateway. The attendant only nodded.

Once they were back at the mansion, Jean watched after Bobby while Hank ran some tests on Marie. Sure enough, her mutant powers were back. Now all they needed to prove was that she wasn't an anomaly. The cure wasn't permanent for anybody. When the cure wore off, they knew of at least one mutant enemy that was going to be a problem for them, and probably the rest of mankind as well.


	10. Down to Business

It was the next day that Professor Xavier finally arrived. He walked though the entryway (which was unusual in and of itself) into the foyer, all but slamming the expensive front door, but no one greeted him. Thinking this was odd, he went about telepathically searching the mansion for signs of life. He detected all the consciousnesses were out back approximately where the baseball diamond was. Charles walked around the outside of the house slowly, taking in the feel of comfort this old home gave him. He hadn't realized how much he had missed these vine-covered bricks, the metal scrollwork on the balconies, and all the other little touches that made it his home. He grew up in this house, and had so many memories, both good and bad. Muir Island was comfortable enough, but it wasn't home.

No one saw him as he approached; they were all too focused on the game. Storm was up to bat, with Bobby pitching. Jean was on first, Jubilee on third. It appeared to be a "Boys vs. Girls" game. Bobby threw the ball, but even from his far away vantage point Charles could see that he had coated it with ice. Storm didn't bother to swing, but started yelling something about a "no-powers" game. Peter even had trouble catching the ball and throwing it back to Bobby because it was so slippery.

Charles decided to make his presence known. He continued his walk towards the field until Marie (who was sulking and insisting everyone call her Rogue again) stood up from the bleachers and hollered:

"Professor!" Everyone looked in the direction she was looking, then dropped what they were doing and ran to meet him. The kids in the outfield made it there first, closely followed by Jean, who pushed her way through the kids to give the professor a huge hug.

"Ah, Jean my dear, so good to see you!" he laughed. Someone made an executive decision to move the welcome home party inside the house to the den, for which Charles was very grateful. It was quite a bit warmer here than in Scotland.

Linda always seemed to have a sixth sense that told her when food was needed (some kids actually insisted that she was indeed a mutant, and that this was her power). She came into the overcrowded den with a tray full of sandwiches and a pitcher of ice cold lemonade, both of which disappeared from the table she set them on almost instantly.

The first order of business was to have a briefing for the X-Men. They congregated down in the basement meeting room, the professor sitting at the head of the table. Jean was on his right and Storm on his left. Logan, of course, sat by Jean, and the rest of the X-Men who were present (Beast, Colossus, Iceman, and Rogue) sat along the other side with Storm.

First they talked about adding Jubilee and Warren to the X-Men. They knew all about the team, just like most of the students at the school, and wanted to join. Most people agreed that Jubilee would be useful, so long as she took things seriously. Warren, codename Angel, would be valuable as well. In the end, they voted them both in. The professor sent each of them a message to come down to the basement and join the other X-Men for the rest of the meeting.

Once Jubilee and Angel were there and settled (Jubilee sitting next to Logan, and Angel next to her) the meeting continued. They discussed Rogue and her condition, and what it meant for the mutant community. There were others who were going to go through what she went through, and who didn't have all the support that she did. Also there were enemies, namely Magneto, who would come after them again once their powers returned.

This discussion led to a question of whether or not the X-Men should start recruiting. It seemed everyone knew someone who would be an excellent addition to the X-Men. Storm started making a list of promising candidates. After a page and a half, they divided it up among the group. Each person was given roughly half a dozen people to speak with.

The meeting concluded with scheduling of danger room sessions (over the summer, people had just used it when and if they wanted to) plus the decision to call back Kitty from summer vacation. They needed everyone back here, informed and practicing in the danger room.

After the meeting, Jean and Logan went out on a leisurely walk through the more secluded gardens, using the paths Logan had recently set down. They hadn't had much time alone lately except at the fair, and that had been interrupted. As they walked through the flowers and wove among the trees, Jean reached over and slipped her hand into Logan's.

"I know you don't like talking to people, so I thought we could combine our lists and talk to them together. Some of them are out of town, so we can take a little road trip, maybe?" Jean ventured, looking sideways towards Logan.

"Sure, Red. You volunteering to do the talkin'? Couldn't pass that up."

"Great! We'd have to stop in New York City first, then down south to Virginia and Louisiana…" she went on and on, making plans as they walked. Logan didn't mind listening to her talk. He liked the sound of her voice, even if he wasn't paying attention to precisely what she said.

The next morning, Logan woke to the sound of someone trying to beat down his door. He rolled over to look at the clock, which read 6:30am. He groaned. Whoever this turned out to be, they were getting a beating for waking him up at this godforsaken hour. Logan stumbled out of bed and over to the door, unlocking it and jerking it open. A tall red-head fell into him.

"Whoa! Logan! Sorry, I was leaning on your door because my arm was getting tired. I thought you were a light sleeper?"

"Didn' wake up 'cause I smelled you I guess. I wake up if somethin' smells or sounds unfamiliar." Logan mumbled, still half asleep. He rubbed his face with both hands, and then ruffled up his hair, which was sticking up every which way anyhow.

"What's up, Jean?" It was usually not a good sign when Logan used her actual name, anymore.

"We're leaving, remember? We talked about it yesterday in the garden? We decided to leave right away because we have twice as many people to talk to than everyone else." She paused and put her hands on her hips. "You weren't listening, were you?" Logan just stared at her. Jean sighed. "Well, we're leaving, so go take a shower while I pack a bag for you. Go on!" she shooed him into the bathroom.

First she made up his bed, which probably hadn't been done in a while, then looked around the sparse room for a bag. She finally found a small duffel bag in the closet, and proceeded to fill it with jeans, t-shirts, boxers, socks, etc. She felt slightly self-conscious being this domestic, but decided it was not intimacy, but expediency. _Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Jean_, she thought.

Logan emerged from the shower then, towel-clad but looking no more awake than he had going into the shower. He walked over to where she was sitting on the bed, grabbed one of everything off the top of the bag, then went right back into the bathroom. He didn't bother to close the door all the way, so Jean heard the sounds of him getting dressed and brushing his teeth. She thought about how it would be to do this every morning; to wake up together, and get ready together. Jean knew that if it weren't for her protests of needing some space, Logan would have already invited her to move into his room. She was beginning to feel bad about how she was treating Logan. She found herself just expecting that he would wait around until she was good and ready for a relationship, which wasn't fair to him. He had been making all the compromises so far. _ I really need to stop thinking about this too hard_, she thought.

He emerged again, this time looking a little less out of it.

"You should grab your toiletries from the bathroom." Jean prompted. He just grunted, but turned around and grabbed them, throwing them on top of the bag and zipping it up. He turned to her then.

"Where's your stuff?"

"Down in the car." she replied. "I loaded them up already. I packed snacks and drinks for the ride too." She smiled. "Well, I guess we can go!"

"Great."


	11. Road Trip!

About five minutes down the road, Logan was asleep again. Jean just rolled her eyes. At least she got him outside and in the car without a fuss. They were driving a big SUV, so all their luggage was far in the back, allowing Logan to recline his seat to the fullest. She turned up the radio, even singing along (horribly) to try and keep Logan awake so she'd have someone to talk to. Eventually, however, she resigned herself to the fact that she'd be driving into the city pretty much alone.

When Jean pulled into the parking garage of the hotel, Logan finally woke up.

"I hate these things." he grumbled, half to himself.

Jean had made the reservation for two nights, long enough to visit both the potential X-Men in New York. She had planned on visiting one person a day.

Logan carried their things up to the room while Jean finished checking in. She had reserved a two-bedroom suite, but somehow there was a mix-up and they had been given the bridal suite. _Logan is probably happy about this, _thought Jean, as she took the elevator up to their room. _There's going to be one bed, and he's going to want to share it_. That thought made her stomach flutter. Part of her wanted to cuddle up with Logan under the sheets, but another part of her screamed that she wasn't ready for that yet.

She finally reached the room, swiped her key and went in. Logan was sprawled on the couch, watching tv and drinking a beer.

"Well, make yourself at home…" said Jean, smiling.

"Think I already did." he said without turning from the tv. Jean went around behind him. He was watching a hockey game. Somehow, she wasn't surprised.

"Notice anything strange about the room?" Jean asked.

"Nope."

"There's only one bed."

"Mm-hmm."

"They messed up and gave us a bridal suite instead of a two-bedroom suite."

"How 'bout that."

Jean made an inarticulate noise of exasperation, and decided to give up. He was still upset that she dragged him out of bed, apparently. _Well, it was his fault for not paying attention to our conversation yesterday_, she thought. _What right does he have to be angry with me?_

Jean went off into the bedroom to think and to review the files of the mutants they'd been assigned. It was a pretty standard room; king-sized bed covered with an ugly floral-print blanket, two end-tables with boring white lamps, a desk and a dresser. Logan had already put all his stuff away, but her suitcase was just sitting on the bed. She moved it to the floor by the dresser, then dug through her briefcase (which she had carried with her) to find the dossier on their first candidate. His name was Jean-Paul Beaubier, late of Canada. Twenty-two, single, living in SoHo. His mutant ability was super speed.

Jean was interrupted by Logan knocking on the open door's frame. She noticed the tv was turned off.

"Yes?" She looked up at him from where she sat on the bed. She couldn't read his expression, and didn't want to read his mind, not only because he could feel when she did it, but also she didn't like to be intrusive towards people she cared about.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the couch." Logan said, his voice soft. Jean knew that wasn't what he really wanted. She also suddenly realized why he had been short with her at first. He might have thought, before she told him otherwise, that she had booked a room with only one bed on purpose.

"It's ok," said Jean, in an off-handed way. "I don't think you should suffer for the hotel's mistake. It's a king-sized bed; there's enough room for both of us. Unless you'd rather sleep on the couch?" she said with a smile.

She called Jean-Paul that afternoon to see if he would meet with them. He seemed hesitant, but finally agreed to meet them in a little restaurant down the street from his apartment.

Jean and Logan got there ten minutes early. They were seated and ordered drinks before Jean-Paul got there. It was a nice little place, decorated with posters from old movies and with film memorabilia. The items on the menu were also Hollywood themed. Jean was so busy taking in the place that she failed to notice Jean-Paul until he was at their table.

"Hello." he said. "Dr. Grey?" His voice held a pleasing French-Canadian accent. He was average height, with white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His skin was slightly tanner than one would expect from a person with his coloring, but he was still very handsome.

"Please, call me Jean. This is my associate, Logan." Logan gave a brief jerk of his head. "He doesn't talk often, and when he does it's usually offensive. Don't mind him too much." Jean smiled, and was relieved when Jean-Paul smiled back.

"It's alright, I'm used to his type." said Jean-Paul as he sat down across the booth from them.

The waiter came over and everyone ordered their food. After they handed back the menus and the waiter left, they began.

"Jean-Paul," Jean began, "Have you ever heard of Charles Xavier?" He nodded, so she continued. "He runs a school not too far from here for mutant children. We take them in if they have no where else to go, or just function as a boarding school for students who would rather learn in a judgment-free environment. We teach mutant children and young adults how to live with their gifts, while still being educated and well-rounded individuals." She paused.

"So what does this have to do with me?" asked Jean-Paul. "I'm a little too old to attend your school, and I'm not qualified to be a teacher." Jean smiled a professional smile and went on.

"I'm sure you are also well aware of the dangers posed by mutants who are less interested in cooperation than destruction and subjugation of non-mutants. You've heard of Magneto and his Brotherhood?"

"What mutant hasn't?" he responded. "What with the Liberty Island capture, then Alcatraz, it'd be a miracle if anyone didn't know who he was. I thought he was dead though?"

"No, he is very much alive. He was defeated on Alcatraz using the cure." she said. "But the cure, as we have recently discovered, is only temporary." Jean-Paul looked shocked, his face draining of color.

"But, I've had friends who took it! Their powers went away, they look normal again! You're telling me-" he stopped when he realized how loud he was being, because several other patrons were staring at the trio. "You're telling me that they will turn back into mutants again?" he whispered. Jean solemnly nodded her head.

"So what is this meeting really about?" Jean-Paul asked, now that he had recovered his composure.

"Professor Xavier also runs a team of adult mutants. We try and head off disasters like Liberty Island and Alcatraz. In fact, we were present at both of those incidents. We need help now that we know Magneto is going to return. We're certain that he is going to redouble his efforts to overthrow human-kind. It's up to us to stop him, because average humans don't stand a chance. We would like you to join us."

Jean-Paul stared fixedly at the table. Just then, their food came. They ate mostly in silence, but eventually Jean-Paul piped up again.

"So what do you call yourselves?"

"We're the X-Men." Jean responded. Jean-Paul nodded.

"I'll have to get back to you."


	12. Getting Comfortable

_Well, that wasn't entirely unsuccessful_, thought Jean as they headed back to the hotel. Logan hadn't said a word the whole time. She knew that he didn't like socializing, but it was bordering on ridiculous. She said they could talk to them together, not that she would take on his list as well as her own without his help.

When they got back to the hotel, Jean went straight to her suitcase and dug out her swimming suit. She needed to do something other than sit in a room with Logan alone.

"I'm going down to the pool." she said on her way out the door. When she reached the turn to head for the elevator, Jean went the other way, down the stairs. She really wasn't in the mood to share space on a dinky elevator with chatty tourists and Musak.

The pool was empty when she got there and she was glad. Jean didn't want to have to fight for space to swim laps. She needed the exercise after all morning in a car and all afternoon sitting in a restaurant. After a while though, she got the feeling she was being watched. She stopped when she reached the tiled edge of the pool, only to be looking up at Logan.

"Heya, Red. Havin' fun?" He cocked his eyebrow. Jean couldn't help it, she gave in to the overwhelming urge to grab his leg and pull him into the pool fully dressed. She had to cheat and use a little telekinesis (Logan weighed a lot) but it was worth the look on his face right before he splashed down into the water.

Later that night, they decided to order room service rather than go out to eat again. Logan ordered a steak, medium-rare and Jean got the chicken alfredo. As they were waiting for the food to arrive, Jean turned on the tv, switching channels until she landed on Jeopardy. Logan sighed, but didn't ask her to change it. He knew she loved it. She was still yelling answers as the knock came at the door.

"Room service!" called out a young man's voice. Jean made no move to get up (double Jeopardy just started) so Logan retrieved the food, even bothering to tip the greasy teenager who brought it. He set it up on the almost-too-small table behind the sofa where Jean was currently shouting "Polonium! Polonium!"

The couple enjoyed their meal as soon as the game show was over. Jean very much enjoyed Logan's keen observations of Jean-Paul.

"Guy's a fruit." he said around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"You think Jean-Paul is gay?" Jean hadn't caught that vibe at all.

"Oh yeah, big time. Rainbows and Village People." Logan said matter-of-factly.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked. Logan shrugged.

"His roots were showin'." Jean nearly fell off her chair laughing.

After they cleaned up their dinner, Jean and Logan ended up on the couch watching a movie. It was a small couch, really more of a loveseat, so they were in close quarters. They both pretended to be interested in the movie, but for entirely different reasons. Jean was thinking about the inevitable awkwardness of going to bed, and how she was clammy and shaky from nervousness. She was hoping Logan didn't know how scared she was, or how strongly she felt. Logan, his arm along the back of the couch, was wishing he could put it down around Jean's shoulders. He wanted so badly to be close to her, but he didn't want to scare her. She was like a skittish animal; any sudden moves and she ran away.

Eventually, fatigue won out to nerves, and Jean leaned over into Logan's side. He slowly brought his arm down and shifted towards her so she was leaning more on his chest. He knew he should probably take her into the bedroom and put her to bed, but he was enjoying this quiet time together. She wasn't totally asleep, and was enjoying it herself. He was so warm, he practically radiated heat. She snuggled up closer and laid her head down on his shoulder.

The next thing she knew, Jean was being lifted off the couch and carried somewhere. She didn't really care though, she liked Logan holding her and she was so tired…

He put her down on the bed, wondering what to do. He didn't think she'd be comfortable sleeping in slacks and a dress shirt, but he didn't want to undress her, have her wake up in the middle, and then need to explain himself before she scrambled his brains. Fortunately, Jean woke up enough to realize she was going to bed. She gestured for Logan to bring over her suitcase, which he did. Digging through it, she found shorts and a tank top to sleep in, then made shooing motions which he took to mean "get out of here so I can change!" He waited outside the bedroom for what he thought was an adequate amount of time before slowly peeking through the door. Jean was already in bed asleep, her clothes from that day in a pile on the floor next to her suitcase.

Logan made his way over to the bed, then quietly stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed next to the snoozing red-head.

He had never fallen asleep so quickly in his life.


	13. Nightmares

**Author's Note: Dark Phoenix Rising, you are my hero! I granted your request…kinda. I know what you were actually asking for, but this isn't it. Sorry! It'll happen eventually, I promise.**

Jean woke up sometime in the middle of the night. As she lay there, trying to figure out what had awoken her, someone shifted next to her in the bed. After the initial second of panic, she remembered that it was Logan. He was still moving around, making scared sounds, almost whimpers, with the occasional grunt. _He must be having a nightmare_, she thought. She figured she ought to wake him, but quickly remembered what happened to Rogue when she tried that before. Jean took the precaution of holding him down with her telekinesis and moving up so she was sitting by his head, out of the way of his claws. She then, very gently, touched his shoulder.

Logan's eyes snapped open, and his claws shot out of his hands. He couldn't sit up, and was struggling futilely against Jean's hold on him.

"Logan, you need to wake up. Look at me. Once I know you've recognized me I'll let you up." she murmured. He slowly quit fighting to move. "Logan?" Jean repeated. He looked at her, his eyes hard until he met her gaze. He knew her then, even that part of him that was still halfway asleep back in the Weapon X laboratory. He saw her familiar face and it pulled him away from that agonizing memory. His claws sheathed themselves.

"Jeannie?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you awake?"

"Yeah…lemme up." She released her psychic grip and he sat up on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He didn't move except for the deep breaths he was taking.

"Are you alright, Logan?" Jean said quietly. He took his hands away from his face and nodded.

"I should be askin' you that. I coulda hurt you." He turned around to look at her then. His eyes were bloodshot, and the muscles of his face tight. Jean smiled reassuringly.

"I had it under control. I'm more badass than you, remember?" Jean tried to lighten the mood, but Logan was having none of it. He moved around to fully face her, so they were both sitting in the middle of the bed, just looking at each other. The tension level in the room skyrocketed.

Jean thought, _Okay, I'm alone with an attractive man in a hotel away from home, and with only one big bed. Plus, I'm in skimpy shorts and a tank top sans bra. Not to mention he can probably smell that I'm turned on. It isn't my fault, really. He looks so vulnerable and in need of attention, and he is in his under wear. Dear God, help me._

Logan laughed. This jerked Jean out of her thoughts, and led her to the conclusion that she was so nervous that she was unconsciously projecting her thoughts. She could feel her face burning while she quickly looked away. Logan had apparently recovered enough to make fun of her.

"Don't think God's gonna help you with _those_ kinda problems, Red." His voice was still a little raspy, but other than that he sounded like he always did. Jean smacked his arm.

"Stop it! You project embarrassing things too, you know." He raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?" Jean just sighed. She thought to glance at the clock on the end table. It said 3:40am.

"I'm going back to sleep." said Jean, moving under the covers to lie back down, but he caught her with his arm around her middle. She tried to wiggle free, but he pulled her down so they were essentially spooning on top of the sheets.

"But I'm so vulnerable and in need of attention." he said in her ear. Jean snorted, but quit struggling because she knew that struggling right now could lead to things. Instead, she simply pulled the sheet out from under their bodies with her telekinesis and set it on top of them. Logan relaxed a little, seeing he'd won. They both shifted around until they were comfortable, which turned out to be Jean laying on her back and Logan on his side next to her, arm draped over her protectively.

Unlike Jean, who fell back asleep quickly, Logan stayed awake for the rest of the night. It had scared him to have that dream. He hadn't had one involving Weapon X for quite a while. They had all been replaced with memories of Alcatraz.

Jean made a small noise and a muscle in her hand, which was lying on her stomach, twitched. He covered her hand with his own, careful to move slowly and not wake her up. He was propped up on his other elbow already, so he could look at Jean while she slept. Logan was content, although he would never tell anyone (except maybe Jean). The only thing more that he could wish for were memories of his past, but even those were less important to him than continuing to make memories now with Jean.


	14. Frosty Reception

The alarm went off at 7:15am. Jean woke to find that Logan was already out in the living room ordering breakfast. Jean eavesdropped a little, with the help of her telepathy. He was ordering for her too; French toast, her favorite. _Did he know it was my favorite? _

She got out of bed and went to take a quick shower. By the time she was out and dressed (she had taken clothes with her into the bathroom) the food had arrived. Logan set it up again on the table.

"French toast, thank you Logan!" she pretended to be surprised. On her way to the table she switched on the tv and turned it to the news. Logan twitched, but quickly relaxed.

"I still can't get used to the fact that ya do stuff like that with yer head." She just smiled at him and sat down at the table.

"I remembered you liked this." He gestured with his fork at the food. She nodded, because she had already started wolfing it down.

After breakfast, Jean dug out the file on their next candidate. She was a well-off businesswoman/socialite named Emma Frost, and she was a telepath. _Oh great_, thought Jean, _she's going to think she's too good for our motley crew. _Jean made Logan call her.

She was surprisingly direct, and set up their meeting at her place at noon. When they got off the phone (Jean had set it on speaker so she could hear Emma too) Jean made a face at Logan.

"I don't like her already. I don't know why…"

Emma's building was ritzy. In fact, Jean was starting to worry whether they would let Logan in. She looked acceptable in her black business suit, but Logan was in faded jeans, a gray t-shirt and his leather jacket.

The uniformed doorman greeted them courteously, however, and directed them inside to the elevator. Emma had her own button, meaning she had an _entire floor_ to herself. Jean was jealous. Her own family had been upper-middle class when she was growing up, but this was upper-upper class. The elevator was bigger than her room at the mansion, and better decorated.

They finally reached her floor and were startled to find Emma standing there waiting for them when the elevator doors opened. She was above average height for a woman, about the same as Jean at 5'10". Her long blonde hair was styled into perfect waves, and her makeup was understated and flawless. She wore a white business skirt suit, the skirt a little too short for Jean's own taste. She held her hand out to Jean first.

"Welcome. You must be Dr. Grey. I'm Emma Frost."

"Hello Ms. Frost, this is my associate Logan. You spoke with him on the phone." Emma turned disapproving blue eyes at Logan, but nodded at him.

"If you would both follow me?" Emma walked down to the end of the hallway, opening one side of a set of double doors leading to a large office set on the corner of the building. The outside walls were all window, affording a generous view of the New York skyline. The styling of the room was rich, but not over the top. The walls and carpet were white, as were the chairs set in front of her desk. The inside walls held a couple of paintings that Jean recognized as being very expensive original pieces. Logan and Jean each took a seat, and Emma sat behind her desk, facing them.

"I know why you've come to speak with me." she began. "You would like me to join Charles Xavier's little mutant crime fighting group. What I have to ask you in return is: What would it gain _me_? Not counting risk of injury or being ostracized by my social contacts." Emma looked back and forth between Jean and Logan, waiting for an answer. Jean didn't know what to say. Logan was getting distracted by the generous amount of cleavage that Emma's suit jacket purposely failed to conceal.

"Well," Jean began, "I believe that banding together against those who would be terrorists is good for everybody. We, as powerful mutants, have a responsibility to protect the rest of mankind from tyranny." Jean thought that this was an excellent reason, but Emma evidently didn't.

"For all I care, regular humans can rot. If they aren't advanced enough to keep up with homo-sapiens-superior, than they will become extinct. As for our fellow mutants, it will be as it has always been throughout history. A powerful leader will take charge, commanding the obedience of those who are lesser. It is the way of business, nature, politics…everything." She stood up. "If that was all, you haven't convinced me that it is in my best interest."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Jean finally managed. "You would have made a valuable addition to our team."

"No doubt I would have. I'll see you out."

Jean was torn. On the one hand, another telepath would have been extremely useful, but on the other hand, she was glad that Emma had declined. Not only was she rude, but Jean had the feeling that she wouldn't be reliable in a pinch. Logan didn't much care for her either.

On the way back to their hotel room, Jean and Logan stopped at a deli to pick up some quick lunch. The tv behind the counter was set to the news, and Jean was listening with half an ear until something she heard got her complete attention.

_"Yes, the infamous Brotherhood of Mutants is back. This group's leader, Erik Lensherr (who insists on being called "Magneto") was sighted yesterday in Australia. Several confirmed accounts say he was with other members of the Brotherhood including St. John Allerdyce, or "Pyro", Cain Marko or "Juggernaut", James Maddrox or "Multiple Man" and another mutant known only by the name "Mastermind". Also, one other account told of two additional mutants who were with Magneto. A white haired young man who moved with super speed and a dark-haired young woman dressed in red. These accounts match the descriptions of Lensherr's estranged children, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff…"_

Jean was shocked. Magneto's power had fully returned already? They had told her that Hank gave Magneto four times the regular dose of the cure! Jean knew that Magneto was powerful, he was a class four mutant, but surely he couldn't overcome four times the normal dosage in the same amount of time it took Rogue's mutation to break through a regular dose.

And he hadn't spoken to the twins, Pietro and Wanda, since they were children! Jean only met them once, back when Charles and Erik were still friends. Erik didn't like to see them. They reminded him of his former weakness: falling in love with their mother, who was just a human.

As soon as they got back to the room, Jean called Xavier. He knew all about it, and assumed that Magneto had only made up with his children because he needed the manpower. Both sides, it seemed, were preparing for battle once more.


	15. Southern Charm

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Busy, busy schedule and school starting soon. Oh well. This chapter isn't that eventful and I apologize. I promise once they get back to the mansion things will liven up! - WPLS**

Jean and Logan left New York and headed south. Their next few interviews were not very successful. The Guthrie family had two adult mutant children: Paige and Sam. They both seemed open to the idea and willing to join the X-Men, but their family (which was quite large) insisted they needed them at home still to help with running the farm and taking care of the other children.

A few other interviews went along this vein until they reached Louisiana. They were supposed to find a mutant named Remy LeBeau, whose last known whereabouts was the New Orleans area. He possessed the ability to collect and store energy in inanimate objects. He was also formerly associated with the Thieves Guild. Not many people even knew of it, but Remy was raised within it when he was orphaned as a child.

They had been scouring the city, Logan from the bottom, Jean from the top, and they had found nothing. Plenty of people knew Remy, but no one was willing to give out an address or phone number, or any sort of way to get a hold of him. Reading the reports, Jean expected to meet a big and scary guy like Logan. She was pleasantly surprised when Remy finally found them.

They were walking along the street towards their hotel, when suddenly a man stepped out from an alley. Logan put his arm around Jean protectively, meaning to just keep walking. The man stepped out of the shadows and in front of them, however, blocking their way.

"I hear you've been searching for little ol' Remy." he said with a smile. He was ridiculously handsome. His face reminded Jean of what Scott was like without his glasses, except without the clean-cut boy-scout look. He was tall, lean, and dressed in a long, brown trench coat. His hair was auburn, shortish and shaggy, covering dark eyes. His face showed a day worth of shadow.

"Yeah, lookin' fer Remy. You know him?" said Logan.

"Remy be at your service, _ami_." He bowed gracefully, not taking his eyes off the couple.

"You're a hard man to find, Mr. LeBeau!" Jean said, as she held out her hand to shake. He smiled at her.

"De lovely _femmes_ get to call me Remy, _cherie._" He took her hand and kissed it. Jean blushed. Logan rolled his eyes and cleared his throat pointedly. _Boy_, he thought, _this is gonna be a long trip if he says yes._

Remy did say yes, and although Jean tried to convince him to simply take a flight back to New York, Logan was correct in his assumption that Remy would want to tag along.

"Remy don't want to stay wit a bunch of strangers when he can go on a free trip wit his new friends, _non_?" Jean just smiled politely and Logan grunted, but didn't object. He was beginning to kinda like this Remy fellow, although he'd never say it.

So, they all went back to the hotel to pack up and head for their next destination. Jean asked if Remy needed to stop by his place and pick up his things, but he declined.

"Got everyting right here, chere." He gestured at his trench coat and its contents (which included cash, cigarettes and a flask).

They made their last stop in Texas, but failed to even locate the mutant that they were after. Jean seemed a little discouraged, so Logan decided they were all going out and having a good time before heading back to the mansion. They went to a place that claimed to be "The Last Real Saloon in the West". It looked just like every western movie they had ever seen. It was a nice wooden building with a painted sign. The place looked dusty but it was probably supposed to. Jean guessed that it was mainly for tourists, but she kept her mouth shut. She was going to have fun, damn it!

They went inside and all they saw was the bartender and a couple of older men at a table in the corner playing cards. This immediately attracted Remy's interest, and he wandered off towards them while Logan went up to the bar, Jean trailing behind him. The bartender looked up from polishing the counter. He was a middle-aged man, dressed up like an old west barkeep.

"Whiskeys all around." Logan said. The bartender nodded and readied the drinks while Logan slapped down some bills on the counter. "Keep 'em comin', too."

Jean had let her gaze drift off toward where Remy had gone. He was sitting at the table, playing cards with the men who were here. She caught his eye and he waved her over, causing the other guys to look where Remy was looking. They gave her the eye, so when she arrived at the table, she leaned over behind Remy and put her arms on his shoulders. He betrayed no surprise, knowing what she was up to. She didn't want to be rude or cause a scene, but she wanted those guys to think she was taken so they wouldn't bother her. She would have rather pretended to be with Logan (there wouldn't be too much pretending involved) but Remy was close by and looked more likely to be dating a woman of her sophisticated caliber.

She was dressed up for their evening out, wearing a dark green sleeveless dress and slight heels. She still wore her day make up, but had curled her hair a bit. She looked fantastic, which Logan had told her before they left for the evening. Remy chimed in jokingly about not wanting to get in a fight with all the men who would try and steal her because she looked so beautiful. Jean had just reminded them both gently that she could take care of herself if need be.

Remy and Logan both joined up with the other men, whose names were Luke and Slim, in a game of poker. Jean sat between Logan and Remy, just watching. Remy was very good, and won every other hand it seemed. Just when Jean thought that he must be cheating, Slim caught Remy's eye (probably to try and read if he had a good hand) and realized that Remy's eyes were not normal. Jean and Logan had taken for granted that Remy's mutation had caused his eyes to be completely black with red irises, something which was freaking out Slim. Pretty soon, Luke noticed that Slim was acting weird, and looked where he was looking; at Remy's eyes. Remy stayed calm, but Jean and Logan were getting tense, anticipating a fight. The "Good ol' Boys" down south usually didn't get along well with mutants.

"Dere be a problem, _mes amies_? Remy not be beating you too bad?" he smiled. They just shook their heads, a little too quickly, and looked down at their cards. They finished the hand in silence. As soon as they were able, Luke and Slim left.

Logan was grumbling insults under his breath, when the bartender came over to their table. _Oh great, not him too_, Jean thought, but he just pulled up a chair.

"Don't mind those idiots. They come into town every weekend lookin' for trouble. Most folks around here don't care if you're a mutie." He directed this last thought at Remy, who smiled indulgently. Despite the man's insulting language, he seemed to be genuine. "There's a spot further outa town, almost to the highway, where the mutie kids hang out. You might have more fun there. Round about midnight this place is gonna be full of bikers, who won't take kindly to y'all being in their favorite bar." The trio thanked him and went out in search of the mutant hang out. Jean was hopeful that they might even find others willing to come back to New York, which is the only way she could convince Logan to go someplace where there would almost certainly be teenagers.


	16. Homeward Bound

They found the place right where the bartender said it would be. It was an old warehouse building that had been revamped into a sort of club. There was a bouncer at the door, but no line. As they approached, he didn't move. After a second, he figured out they didn't know how they were supposed to get past him.

"Prove you're a mutant." he said, looking at them each in turn. Logan popped his claws. The bouncer's eyebrows shot up.

"Okay. Now you strawberry." He looked at Jean, grinning. She concentrated for a second, and then slowly his feet were lifted off the ground until she had him suspended in midair.

"Hey! That's enough!" She dropped him. He nodded towards the third member of their party. Remy pulled out an ace from his sleeve (he HAD been cheating) and charged it up until it glowed red, then he threw it out into the vacant lot next to the building, where it exploded. Bouncer nodded again, and then moved aside to let them in the door.

The inside of the club looked nothing like the outside. It was all painted and the floor was tiled. Music pulsed through the huge space, accentuated by the people moving to its beat. There was a bar along one side with stools lined up all along the front of it. The dance floor and dj stand took up most of the rest of the building, but there was an area off to the side with booths and tables, and a smaller, attached room which housed a pool table and one or two arcade games.

If Jean were ten years younger, wild horses couldn't have dragged her away from this place. Teenagers and twenty-somethings made up the majority of the crowd. A few adults, still younger like Jean and Remy, rounded out the group. They must have all been mutants, but only a handful looked outwardly different enough to not be able to pass for an average human.

Everyone they spoke to was nice enough, but no one was interested in joining up with the X-Men. Most of them were younger and hadn't decided what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of them still lived with their parents. Jean decided to call it quits after a while. They were out here to have fun, right?

Jean danced, Remy danced and drank, and Logan just drank. Jean was starting to feel bad about dancing all night with Remy, but Logan refused to dance. She went over to where Logan was sitting drinking a beer, and scooted in next to him in the booth.

"Having an okay time?" she asked.

"I am now." he smirked, and put his arm around her. She just gave a little laugh and leaned into him. They sat and watched Remy out on the dance floor. He was charming all the girls, dancing with as many as he was able. They hung all over him, but Jean couldn't blame them. He was a handsome and charming southern gentleman, which allowed him easy access into the pants of pretty much any girl he chose.

"I'm almost afraid to take him back to the mansion." Jean joked to Logan. "He'll be breaking teenage hearts left and right."

"He's a decent fighter though." said Logan. "He can use a staff, and he's pretty agile." Jean gave him a questioning look. "We've been sparring in the morning sometimes before you get up. I hold back of course." He smirked.

"Hmm. I'd like to see you guys fight..." Jean smiled.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, the trio only had a couple hours to sleep before they needed to catch their flight back home. This made Jean rather grumpy. The airport did not help her become less grumpy. Their flight was delayed after all, so she tried to sleep in the airport. Unfortunately, being in a place with so many people, she couldn't block out all the thoughts and also relax enough to go to sleep. Remy was snoozing in the chair next to her, slouched down with his collar pulled up around his neck and face. She wondered how he could sleep, but realized he was probably nursing a moderately-sized hangover. On her other side was Logan, who was trying to stay relaxed, but the constant noise and moving of people was making him jumpy. Jean decided she would try and distract him.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be too forward if I were to ask you if I could move in with you when we get home?" This got his attention. He moved around and sat so he was facing her, carefully schooling his face to betray nothing of how he felt. "I know it's a big step, but our circumstances are sort of unique. Even though we've only been officially dating for a short time, we've known each other for a while. Not to mention…" Logan stopped her rant by putting his hand behind her neck and pulling her in for a kiss.

They pulled apart slowly. Jean's eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"I guess that means you don't mind me moving in?"


	17. Settling Down

**Hi everyone! I'm soooooo sorry about the delay in updating! I'm sorry if you thought I forgot about you, because I didn't. School, work, my friends and my fiancé have kept me very, very busy. Anyway, here it is, hope it isn't anti-climatic after so long. Another couple chapters are soon to follow, I promise!**

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Once the arrived back home, it was business as usual. The staff (which now included those students who had graduated the previous spring, minus Theresa, who went to live with her father in Europe) was organizing everything for the students' imminent return. They were also busy with orientations for the newly recruited X-Men. Most of the teacher wing was now full, but with Jean giving up her room, and Kitty and Jubilee being willing to still share a room, it worked out fine.

A few days after Jean got back, the professor pulled her aside.

"I'd like to speak with you, Jean; in private if possible." She nodded and followed him to his office. Once inside he invited her to sit on the sofa, and he sat next to her.

"Jean," he began, "I hope you are doing well and adjusting to your new life. I haven't really gotten to speak with you at all about your return and the emergence of your full powers." His voice was full of fatherly concern.

"It really hasn't been that different. I actually have to work less to control my telepathy. It's easier to shut out the white noise. I haven't tested the limits of my telekinesis yet. You know I'm not particularly fond of using the danger room." He nodded.

"You need to work out your power, Jean. I was afraid for you before. I feared it would be too much for you to bear; you were just a girl. However, I have great confidence in you now. Those barriers I erected have completely disappeared, am I correct?"

"Yes, they're gone. In fact, since I came back it's like they were never even there at all. My mind was essentially rebooted, I think. My body is different as well. It's like I've been given a fresh start, my mind and body have no past, other than my memories. I don't even have any scars from Logan's claws." She was starting to get upset, but the professor just looked thoughtful.

"In my studies of mutant history, I have run across several mentions of what are called 'Omega-Level' mutants. This is a separate classification, not like the numbering system, which only rates the severity and power of a mutation." He had caught Jean's interest. "I believe the definition of Omega-level persons is that they are able to survive without their bodies, in a non-corporeal form, until such time as they can return to a physical body. It requires great power." He stopped, taking a deep breath. "I am not sure whether I myself am an Omega mutant, but I am certain that you are, Jean." She just stared at him, trying to find the words to ask all the questions floating through her head. Luckily, Xavier continued without prompting.

"Your telepathy allowed you to retain your sense of self and your memories after your physical death. Eventually, your telekinesis provided exactly the tool you needed to recreate your body from memory. This is why you look exactly the same, but more youthful and without the scars that Logan's claws would have given you." He motioned at her body and face with his hand. "This is how you wished to see yourself, Jean."

"But I have no memory from the time I died until I woke up in that coffin." She shuddered. Small spaces had been a challenge for her ever since that day. "How could I have done this if I don't remember?" The professor shrugged.

"I don't have all the answers, my dear. It is perhaps because you lacked the physical mechanisms to record the memories? You had no brain, you know." He smiled, and she knew he was teasing her.

"Thank you, Charles," She leaned forward and gave him a hug. "…for everything."

That night's dinner was quite an event. Linda had prepared several delicious dishes, and was being a perfect hostess for all the new people.

Before they began, Xavier (who sat at the head of the table) stood up. This commanded everyone's attention.

"I believe we have all returned, and there are some new faces in the crowd. We should start by introducing ourselves. As most of you know, I am Professor Charles Xavier. I run this school, and the X-Men. My mutant ability is telepathy." He motioned to Jean, who sat at his right. She didn't bother standing up, but just smiled and introduced herself.

"I'm Dr. Jean Grey. I was one of the professor's first students. My mutant abilities are telepathy and telekinesis." Looking to her right, she could see that Logan wasn't thrilled. He just wanted to eat.

"Name's Logan. But it's 'Wolverine' if you get on the wrong end of these." He popped the claws on his right hand. Several audible gasps caused him to smile wolfishly. Jean just smacked his shoulder.

They went around the table that way: Storm, Jubilee, Kitty, Peter, Bobby, and Rogue. Finally it reached someone new.

"Je m'appelle Remy Le Beau. Dey also calls me 'Gambit'. I charge up energy in objects, den dey explode." He said with a smile. Several girls were swooning just listening to him talk. Next was Hank, then Warren. Next to Warren sat another new face. He looked remarkably familiar to Jean, but she couldn't place him.

"My name's Alex. Um, Alex Summers." The room suddenly became uncomfortably silent. Jean finally knew where she had seen him. He was Scott's little brother. "I know most of you guys knew Scott. Um…well, I can channel energy through my hands, like Scott could through his eyes." Everyone quickly looked at his hands, but they appeared normal. Jean knew that Alex could probably control the energy bursts. Scott would have been able to as well, but something was damaged in his brain when he was younger. He and his brother survived the plane crash that had killed their parents, but Scott was severely injured.

The professor quickly spoke up.

"Alex has complete control over his mutation, everyone. I realize that you were familiar with Scott's mutation and his inability to control it, but I assure you, Alex's power is no danger to anyone. Also, he has decided on the codename 'Havok'." There was a collective sigh of relief. And so the introductions moved on. Next was a young woman with bright green hair.

"Lorna Dane. I can control magnetic fields, and my codename is 'Polaris'."

Next in line came a familiar face that hadn't been seen around the mansion in a while.

"My name is Kurt Wagner, but in ze Munich Circus I vas known as ze incredible Nightcrawler!" Everyone who had already heard his spiel a dozen times before groaned or rolled their eyes, half-jokingly. "I can teleport." He demonstrated, "bamf" he went across the kitchen to the counter, stealing a cookie, and then "bamf", back to his seat.

"Show off." muttered Kitty.

Last to be introduced was a beautiful Asian woman, who was sitting next the professor's other side, across from Jean.

"I'm Betsy Braddock." she said, in a surprisingly British accent. "I'm a telepath of sorts. I can wield an energy sword as well. In the field, I'll be 'Psylocke'." Jean looked over and was startled to find Logan staring at Betsy. She nudged him with her elbow in his ribs, but he looked back at Jean solemnly. Jean knew something was up, but she'd wait until later to ask.

The professor made a speech after the introductions, which Jean hardly listened to. She was busy wondering why Logan had been so intrigued by Ms. Braddock.


	18. Finally!

Later that night, Jean was up in Logan's room, _their _room. She still couldn't get used to it; mostly because they were hardly ever in it at the same time. They had never even slept at the same time for the entire week that they had been back, much to Logan's chagrin. During the day she was busy with work for the school and helping Hank with research, and at night Logan was out doing whatever it was he did for the professor. He never got back until very late (or really early, depending on how you looked at it), because he usually left after they finished eating dinner.

Jean asked him if he could stay home tonight because she had something to talk to him about, so she wasn't surprised when he came in the bedroom door at about nine. He was wide awake, despite the hour.

"Hi Logan." she said sleepily. She was sitting in an overstuffed chair by the fireplace. Jean had discovered it was a great place to sit and read a book.

"Hey Red. Think I know what ya wanna ask, and no, I wasn't starin' at her like _that_." He plopped down on the bed, removing his boots.

"I know. I wouldn't be asking you about that." Logan lifted an eyebrow at her. "It's more like I'd be _scolding_ you about that." She laughed, but it quickly died down when she remembered what she was really going to ask. "But why _were_ you looking at her like that? Do you know her?" Logan sighed, rubbing his stubble-covered chin.

"She looks familiar. Might have seen her somewhere before I came here. Always makes me suspicious when I see folks from my old life, ya know?" Jean nodded.

"But wasn't it Charles himself who recommended her?" Jean asked. Logan shrugged. "Well, I can try and get to know her better. It's pretty easy for telepaths to get to know each other, especially two _female_ telepaths." she said with a smile, but realized that Logan wasn't listening to her anymore. He stood up from the bed, and was crossing the room towards her. Jean was suddenly aware that she had nowhere to go and no excuses. She couldn't go back to her room because it wasn't hers anymore; Remy was staying there now. She wanted so badly to run, but another equally strong voice in her head told her that this was what she had always been waiting for, since the moment she met Logan. Just the act of him walking across the room was making her eager. She didn't have the willpower to deny him anymore.

Logan had a familiar look in his eye as he kneeled down in front of her chair. His eyes were so dark; she could barely see their color by the firelight. His gaze was so ferocious, but she wasn't afraid. She _was_ incredibly nervous, however. This moment had been anticipated by both of them for so long, Jean hoped that it would be everything that their fantasies had built it up to be. She would be mortified to disappoint him.

He pulled her off the chair and onto his lap, guiding her legs around on either side so she was straddling him. This caused her skirt to ride up dangerously high, but she hardly noticed. Her heart was beating like mad; she was afraid it was going to pop out of her chest. She could see that his pulse was racing too. Both she and Logan were breathing quickly, their lips finally coming together in a mind-blowing kiss. His whiskers (which had mostly grown back) tickled her face. Jean's arms wrapped around Logan's neck, her hands winding into his hair. His hands were busy exploring parts of Jean that he had only ever dreamed about touching.

Logan soon moved them over to the bed, carrying Jean like she weighed nothing. He laid her down gently, and then went to pull off his flannel shirt, leaving him in just a white undershirt and worn, faded jeans whose button had mysteriously come undone. She was just looking at him, appreciating the view, when he suddenly smiled.

"What?" Jean responded indignantly, sitting up. In this whole process, Jean's shirt had come mostly unbuttoned, affording Logan an excellent view as well. He shook his head and pushed her back onto the bed slowly, following her down with a devilish sparkle in his eye.


	19. A Good Day Gone Wrong

Jean has always imagined that being with Logan would be a wild romp; all forcefulness and passion. While there was that, he was also amazingly tender. She had thought he would be a selfish lover (like he was with all those tramps in the bars) but he anticipated her every need. He even sensed, at about two in the morning, that she needed to rest. He could have gone all night, but Jean needed to sleep.

As she slept, Logan held her tight and wished that this night would never end. He had a sinking feeling that although things were going perfectly now, they wouldn't stay that way. Guys like him never got but a few moments of peace and happiness. His fate was wound up in conflicts. He was built for fighting.

Right now, however, he'd settle for defending. He would protect this place, which he now called home, and these people, who he now considered family.

Gradually, Logan succumbed to sleep as well.

Jean woke up groggy. She yawned, stretching from her toes to fingertips, and discovered that she was definitely sore. It was the good kind of sore; the kind that tells you that you had a really good time last night. She rolled over, and found she was alone in the bed. There was a note on the nightstand, written in almost illegible handwriting.

_Went out for air. Be back for dinner. –L_

Jean sighed. Logan would be Logan, even if they were lovers. _At least he left a note_, she thought, _which is more consideration than he'd give anyone else_.

Jean showered and dressed, choosing loose fitting and comfortable clothes (since it was a Sunday), and then went down to the kitchen. Normally she would just need coffee in the morning, but right now she was starving_. Must be all those calories I burned last night_, she thought smugly. Entering the kitchen, she went straight for the fridge.

"Have a good night?" Storm's voice carried across the kitchen, with a hint of laughter. Jean startled.

"Oh! Morning, 'Ro! What do you mean?" Jean feigned innocence. She grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and tossed them in the microwave.

"You know exactly what I mean." Storm smiled as she sat down at the table, cup of tea in hand. "How was he? Every woman and girl in the mansion would like to know if our fantasies are correct." she teased.

Jean just rolled her eyes and retrieved her food from the microwave. She poured herself a cup of coffee, and then took it all over to the table. She sat down, wincing slightly, which only made Storm's smile bigger.

"Shut up." mumbled Jean into her coffee mug, which she then set down with a sigh. "It's none of your business. But…if it were, I would tell you that he's the best I've ever been with; including college."

"I'm impressed." said Storm. "Your undergrad days were pretty wild. As I recall, you went through men like tissues." Jean choked a little on her food at that last observation.

"I wasn't a slut! I was just…young." Jean smiled. Back then she knew how attractive she was, and used it to full advantage. She never paid for a drink, and never spent a Friday night alone. "Besides, I had to have fun while I could. Medical school wasn't fun, and didn't leave much time for a social life." Storm nodded.

A few seconds later, Remy sauntered into the kitchen. Jean watched Storm's eyes follow him across the room, and laughed a little inside. She couldn't deny that Remy was a good-looking man, but to see a grown woman like Storm act like a schoolgirl with a crush was something else.

"Morning Remy." Jean ventured.

He turned around from where he was standing in front of the open fridge.

"Hey, why did Remy not see two _femmes_ so beautiful sittin' right dere? Remy must be more tired than he thought." Both women blushed. He poured himself some orange juice and came over to the table to sit with them.

"A little birdie tol' Remy dat Jean an' Logan had quite a night." Jean blushed even more. _How did everyone know?_ Jean thought. Just then, Jubilee bounced into the kitchen, and Jean remembered whose room was right next to theirs.

When Jubilee saw Jean, she beamed. Jean was about to get up and wipe that grin off her face; she did not enjoy being embarrassed.

Before Jean could carry out her revenge, the X-Men heard Professor Xavier's voice in their heads: _There is an emergency outside of the south wing. Proceed there immediately, but first send the students to the safe rooms downstairs. They don't need to see this._

Jean sent a telepathic message to Rogue, telling her to take the children to the safe rooms. Rogue was the weakest of the X-Men, because she still hadn't gained all of her confidence back. She was in no condition to fight. Jean, Remy, Storm and Jubilee were the last to arrive on the scene.

As the four of them rounded the corner, they all gasped in shock and Jean felt sick. Rather than a fight, as she had anticipated, there was a boy balancing on the railing of his third floor balcony. She racked her brain trying to remember who he was and if it was dangerous for him to be there. _Of course he's in danger,_ she thought, _the Professor wouldn't have sent us out here if it weren't._

She all of a sudden recalled his name: Jeremy. He was an orphan, like too many mutant children, and had come to the school a bit early. He was only about eleven or twelve, and small for his age. He had the power to teleport objects. He couldn't teleport himself though, like Kurt could, which is why he was in such danger now of falling.

Hank, Peter and Bobby were beneath the balcony, calling up to the small boy. Jean wondered where Kurt was. He could just teleport the boy to safety. Jean craned her neck a little to see up and past the boy into his room. The professor was standing there, obviously trying to help Jeremy to see that he should step away, off of the railing and back into his room. Suddenly, Jean heard a voice in her head. It was Jeremy's, which didn't make any sense. He wasn't a telepath.

_"This boy shall be the first casualty, and a declaration of war between us, Charles." _Jean looked around, seeing that the others were hearing it too. _ "For too long I have spared you out of an outdated affection. I have not forgotten that we were friends, once. But now, I have realized that there are more important things; for the both of us. I bring you this warning by way of my new right hand: Mastermind. He is a powerful psychic, Charles. A match for you, perhaps? We shall see. I hope you have said your farewells to this little one. Good luck, old friend."_

Before anyone could do anything, Jeremy jumped. Frozen in terror and still trying to comprehend Magneto's message, none of the X-Men were in time to catch him.


	20. Emotional Rollercoasters

**Hey guys! I know it has been a while and I'm sorry (seems like all I do anymore is apologize). Anyways, shortly after my last update I broke my right arm (and I'm right-handed, grr) so typing and writing were very difficult. I just got my cast off, so now I'm trying to make up for it. This chapter was in a rough form before I was injured, so that's why it's up so soon. It will take a bit for me to get new stuff, so please be patient with me? Love you guys!**

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They had a simple and quiet funeral. It was another marker to add to the memorial garden. This time, it was a very small one. Fortunately, not very many students were at the school yet, but the ones who were, and who knew Jeremy, were heartbroken. The mutant war had hit home and it had hit hard. To lose one of the X-Men was sad, but it was expected. The students had considered themselves safe. Those who were older knew better.

Students like Artie or younger X-Men like Jubilee knew that it didn't matter. They had been kidnapped as students and used by Stryker to test his mutant death machine. They knew that when mutants were involved it was absolute war. There was no Geneva Convention among their kind.

It was a sunny day, but crisp, almost cold. Fall had arrived; the season when things die. _How appropriate_, thought Storm, _but the dying has just begun_. She was ushering the few students back inside. The normally rowdy bunch of year-rounder's (as Jubilee had nicknamed those kids who didn't have a home to go to, herself included) was silent and somber. Dinner was the same.

Linda, who had cried uncontrollably in the teacher's lounge on the day of Jeremy's death, had prepared a supper fit for a king in Jeremy's honor. It was too bad no one was in the mood to eat much of it.

After dinner, everyone just headed to their rooms. Jean and Logan included. They ended up sitting on the chair in front of the fireplace; Jean curled on Logan's lap. Logan and Kurt had felt horrible upon returning to the mansion after the attack the other day. Kurt, especially, felt responsible. He knew he could have saved poor Jeremy.

Jean sighed and laid her head on Logan's shoulder. He could feel sorrow and conflict rolling off of her in waves. She let him into her head a little, and he could see her reliving the memories of every death she had ever witnessed. She saw her childhood friend, Annie, being hit by a speeding car. She was thrown quite a ways, and Jean could still clearly remember how she landed with a sickening thud. Jean's powers manifested just in time for her to feel her best friend's life slipping away as she held Annie's small, broken body in her own equally small arms. She saw Scott's boyish face and bright blue eyes contorting in pain as she ripped him apart, molecule by molecule. She saw her father-figure, Professor Charles Xavier, as she lifted him from his chair in her parent's den. All the objects in the room were flying and swirling into fragments as she tore apart her teacher until there was nothing left. Finally, she saw Jeremy. The little boy they had rescued from an inner-city orphanage. She saw him in her mind's eye as he fell three floors to his death.

Logan also felt her rage at Magneto, and a curious sadness. She longed for him to be the wise old teacher that she had first met all those years ago as a girl. He had taught her and cared about her, or so she had thought. Her anger was all the more intense for the fact that he had once been her mentor. She had looked up to him, and he betrayed her. He used her on Alcatraz. Even before that, actually. Everyone was so impressed by what he did with the Golden Gate Bridge, but what they didn't realize was that he had help from her. She never let on back then (Phoenix didn't care about glory) but now she wanted to scream it.

_He isn't infallible! He isn't all-powerful! He's just an old man! _She screamed silently, raging in her head. Logan kept his surprise to himself. She was letting him in on her inner turmoil; something he wasn't aware existed. Most people probably didn't know. The professor didn't even know the depths of despair and indecision to which her mind sank. Outwardly, she was the logical, calm doctor and scientist, and that was how she wanted others to see her. It was strange to Jean to feel like she needed to share this grief and pain with someone else. She had always been alone in her emotions. That was the first lesson a telepath learned. You don't leak out your emotions to others. A telepath, or any sort of psychically gifted person, learns to school their mind so it doesn't betray them.

Jean felt a kindred spirit in Logan, however. Inside his mind was rage and confusion, just like hers. They both suppressed their wilder emotions and instincts, so that the outside world could survive their presence.

"Let's go to bed." said Jean emotionlessly, getting up from the chair and Logan's lap. He followed her.


End file.
